The Newborns
by PenMagic
Summary: Would a year without at least one Weasley or Potter be normal? What about 6? Join Albus, Rose, James, Dominique, Fred II and Victoire as they go through the year making unlikely friends and facing far worse than their nightmares.
1. Who We Left Behind

**Chapter 1**

As the train drew out of sight, Harry again locked eyes with Draco. Ron nodded to Harry and the quartet made their way over to the couple. They were unfamiliar with Draco's wife and were quick to try and introduce themselves.

"Draco." Harry nodded curtly.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny." Draco Malfoy nodded to each of them in turn. "May I introduce my wife, Astoria?"

The woman smiled. She was the same height as Malfoy with long, wavy brown hair that was shoulder length. Her eyes were a dazzling green that rivalled Harry's in its closeness to blue.

"What a pleasure to meet you all."

"Likewise." Ron nodded, shaking her hand. "I don't seem to remember you –"

"I was three years below you, the same year as Dennis Creevey. You may remember my sister Daphne in your year."

"Yes, she was in Hufflepuff, wasn't she?" Hermione asked. They all expected to hear the same answer however it was not to be.

"Yes, I was placed in Ravenclaw. She has always envied me for that fact. Draco and I met at your first reunion 14 years ago, Daphne dragged me along and we were introduced."

"I take it that Scorpius is just starting this year." Ginny inquired politely.

"yes." Was Draco's short reply.

Noticing the lack of friendliness in his voice, Astoria rolled her eyes and motioned that the others should go. Nodding to each without saying a word, the foursome left Draco and Astoria at the platform and made their way towards where they had come from. Ron was confused.

"What's up with Draco?"

Harry shrugged. "Who knows?"

As they progressed back down the platform, Lily turned to Ginny.

"Mummy, why wasn't that man very nice to you?"

Ginny smiled and Harry felt a pang of guilt at not introducing Lily and Hugo, as once again his curiosity had got the better of him. "Because darling, that was Draco Malfoy. He, your parents and your Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were on very bad terms at their time at Hogwarts. In fact your father saved his life twice but at the same time, also almost killed him on several occasions."

"Oh," was all the reply Lily could think of. She decided to talk it over with Hugo as Harry set up two Portkeys to transport them back home. It was a subject that had never come up in the family home and the idea of her father almost killing another man was a nasty thought for a nine year old girl. Ron, however, was staring wistfully down the platform where the train had gone out of sight not two minutes ago. Hermione tugged at his sleeve and pulled him away. Clearly Ron was in a 'going back to Hogwarts' mood that Hermione knew so well. Of the three of them, she had been the only person to return to Hogwarts to complete her education with Ginny's year. Thanks to Kingsley Shacklebolt, Harry and Ron were not required to get the NEWT grades they needed to become Aurors but Hermione had bought them the set books anyway. Harry and Ron had always wished that they had gone back to Hogwarts, Harry sometimes went to give lectures on the dark arts to students but the last one was three years ago and it wasn't as fun as being a student. Hermione, however, was brewing up a plan.

"Let us know when Albus gets his house letter. We are as eager to find out which house he is in as you are." Hermione said to Ginny.

"Of course, why wouldn't we? The same likewise with Rose?"

"We would all like to think we know where our children will be headed, but you can never be sure." Harry said deeply.

There was an awkward silence followed only by coughing as Hugo noticed the Portkeys suddenly turning blue. There was a quick flurry as the families arranged themselves around their respective Portkeys before the familiar naval-jerk-sensation was felt and soon enough the Potter family were safely back at 12 Grimmauld Place, the home Sirius Black, Harry's godfather had left him.

Harry looked down the hallway with a certain fondness. It had taken several Aurors, but now, as Lily rushed up the corridor and into the kitchen, there was no painting of Mrs Black hanging in the hallway. After hours of trying and giving up, it had transpired by proving that there were no Black members left to own Grimmauld Place, she had willingly let her painting been taken down and thrown away. The shame had clearly been far too much to bear. The rest of the house had been easier to sort out then. The family tree had been restored with the names of Sirius, Andromeda and all the other names that had been blasted off were restored to their original condition. It was now also home to the Potter and Weasley family trees which had been erected by Harry and Ginny to make the room feel a little bit more homely. Harry wondered through the house, memories flooding in. The kitchen, where Kreacher, who had died of old age a year after the Battle of Hogwarts, had willingly served Harry, Ron and Hermione food before they attempted to break into the Ministry. The room full of family trees was where Sirius had told him of his true meaning why he was good and not evil by having a connection with Lord Voldemort.

As Harry reached the first floor landing and the first set of rooms, he paused. The entire summer before his fifth year had been spent cleaning them. It had made moving in a lot easier with a four and two year old and a heavily pregnant wife. The windows took less than a minute to clean with his wand and it had given him great pleasure to change the curtains. Opposite the main guest bedroom was the living space. Harry and Ginny had decided not to spoil the children but to introduce them into the Muggle world. For Ron and Ginny, it had been quite a shock, living in the Muggle world by themselves and not dependent on their family. Like many other Muggle families, they had board games and a computer which allowed Harry to do a lot of his work. Although this was no longer very much work, it allowed him to communicate with his father-in-law, Arthur Weasley.

The second floor housed James, Harry and Ginny's bedrooms. Harry had refused flat out to change Sirius's room and after a while had consented to let Ginny clean it of dust. Harry pushed open the door and the same feeling of pleasure struck him. Emblazoned with Gryffindor colours, it was the only room in the house that didn't need changing in Harry's eyes. The only person allowed to sleep in here was Teddy, Harry's godson. Feeling duty-bound, Harry felt it right to let his godson sleep in his godfather's room. Despite being placed, to genuine surprise, in Ravenclaw, Teddy had not objected to the Gryffindor colours and had once confided in Harry that he had wished he had been put in Gryffindor. Harry had put this down immediately saying that he was in Ravenclaw for a reason. Teddy had felt much more at home with this but Harry still noticed a slight look of discomfort in Teddy's eyes whenever he came for dinner, surrounded by Gryffindors, so he often invited Luna, his close friend and another ex-Ravenclaw around to make him feel at ease.

One of the first rooms to have been changed was Regulus's room. To respect his memory and help in Voldemort's downfall, Harry and Ginny had left Regulus's plaque but had placed beneath it a different plaque which read: 'this room belongs to James Sirius Potter. Please knock before entering'. The blazing Slytherin hangings had been quickly demolished and replaced with brighter colours that had soon turned into red and gold, when James came home from his first term at Hogwarts. Harry pushed open the door. The room was now bare and the spot where James's owl, Colin, normally stood was now empty. Having done plenty of research and in honour to their parents, James, Albus and Lily had agreed between themselves to name their animals after people who had died during the years 1997-1998. James had taken it quite far and had called his tawny owl: Colin Tom (after Lord Voldemort but James insisted that he wanted to call him by his proper name) Frederick Stan Antonin Potter. James had a thing about the Death Eaters and had been keen to find out about them. Albus had obtained a beautiful snowy owl and named her Nymphadora (though known as Tonks) Hedwig Potter. Lily was torn between her names as she was yet to have an animal, but she adored both Colin and Tonks. James's walls were scattered with photos from his first year and Harry smiled as he matched them in his memory to the letters James had sent. Although not quite as eventful, James did seem to have had a quite full-on first year. Harry thought and marvelled now at the amount of children he knew attending Hogwarts. Harry paused by the room that he and Ginny occupied. It was the largest bedroom in the house, opposite Sirius's room and was ornately furnished like the rest of the house.

With a pang of sadness, Harry continued up the stairs to where Albus and Lily's rooms were. These rooms too, were considerably large and spacious. Albus was a great thinker like his namesake and his room was lined with bookshelves, now a quarter empty. He had asked Hermione to put an Undetectable Extension charm on the suitcase and she had willingly obliged. Only after casting the spell, did she reveal to Harry and Ginny what she had done and Albus had not been sorry. They had put their foot down on how many books Albus could take but that hadn't stopped him from taking as many as he could. His room was a piercing blue with streaks of black. Albus had insisted on this as he wanted his bedroom to reflect the eyes of his two namesakes. Harry had thought this an odd choice at first, but the black streaks really worked and almost looked like they were moving. Harry again felt a pang of sadness. Now there were no boys to stop shouting to stop running around and cause havoc. Now he couldn't have in-depth conversations with Albus about the things that worried him. Taking his mind off the subject, Harry looked across into Lily's room. She was a great fan of the Holyhead Harpies, and had lots of posters of her mother and the team in their various robes each season. A board on the side represented all the tickets to the games Lily had attended and it was getting more and more full every month. Photos of the family on holiday, the Leaky Cauldron, letters from James from Hogwarts and a quick and slightly blurred picture from James's first day at Hogwarts also made up the walls that were now a pleasant shade of light purple.

"Harry, food's ready." Ginny called.

"Coming sweetheart."

Harry stood at the top of the staircase and felt a huge surge of guilt wash over him. So many people had apparated up and down these stairs that would never do it again. He would never get to hug Sirius by the kitchen door every morning. He would never see Tonks knocking over the umbrella stand and Lupin would never cross the threshold where he had 19 years ago and Harry had called him a coward. He felt a fresh surge of guilt. He had never said sorry for that, he wished he had. Remus Lupin was one of the bravest men that Harry had ever known. He would never hear the stumping of Mad-Eye Moody's false leg and wooden stick clunking down the hallway and there would be no more peals of laughter as Fred and George try to entertain the family with the latest range from Weasley Wizard Wheezes.

Almost in a way to say thank you to all those people who had sacrificed their lives, Harry decided not to use magic. Feeling childish, Harry couldn't help himself as he raced down the stairs. He could have easily apparated but he didn't feel like it. He wanted to feel the sensation that the boys had as they raced each other down the stair at eight o'clock in the morning. He wanted to remember how it felt when he was last here and unable to apparate inside the house, having to make those long flights of stairs seem really quick. As he reached the bottom, he smiled and knew that all was well.


	2. Judgement Day

The train drew out of sight and Albus sighed. Despite his father's comforting words back on the platform, he wasn't sure. He stared out the window, his trunk and owl cage beside him as he watched the train speed by rows upon rows of houses and more houses. This was going to be a long journey.

"Come on Al or all the compartments will be taken and we'll have to sit with some, other people." Rose interrupted his thoughts.

He knew what she meant. Although they were cousins and wanted to make friends, they had both agreed that the journey there wasn't the best time to sit awkwardly in a compartment, probably with older years that had already been sorted and not let a word pass between them for hours upon hours. Grabbing his trunk at one end, Rose helped him heave his trunk along the carriage, looking into each one. Rose had already bewitched her trunk to follow them and it did dutifully. They found an empty compartment at the end of the carriage they were in and dumped the trunk at the end. Neither of them had any more strength to try and put it up in the rack. Rose's suitcase was a lot lighter and so, between them, they just managed to put it up on the rack.

"It's a shame your mum forgot to teach me how to make it lighter." Albus panted as they collapsed onto the seats.

"Yes. Where's Tonks?" Rose asked.

Albus started. "She's still where I left her, by that window!"

They jumped to their feet and raced out of the compartment. Hurtling down the corridor, Albus came to the spot where he was sure he had left Tonks. But she was nowhere to be seen.

"Tonks?" Albus called. He was desperate to find her.

Sure enough, as she had been taught, there was a screeching sound and a rattling of bars in a compartment a few doors along. Tonks was in there, recognisable by her big grey eyes and brown streaked feathers, along with three other students, who appeared to be older than Rose and Albus. Looking at Rose who smiled encouragingly, Albus timidly opened the door and the nearest girl looked up. Tonks had been placed at the window.

"Excuse me." Albus said nervously.

"Yes, how can we help you?" the girl asked. She was wearing a red and yellow tie, Albus thought with relief. They had stumbled across a Gryffindor.

"Did you find that bird outside in the corridor? Because I think its mine."

"Yes, we were wondering who she belonged to. She's a beauty, isn't she?" Albus nodded.

"Thanks so much for looking after her."

The girl frowned suddenly. "How do I know that you're not just trying to steal her?"

"Let her out of the cage and I can prove it."

The girl did so, still frowning. Tonks hopped to the edge of the cage and looked around curiously. Albus held out his left, non-wand, arm.

"Tonks, here girl."

Obediently Tonks flew over and landed neatly on his arm. The girl smiled and handed Albus the cage. Nodding to her, Albus left the compartment and as he and Rose walked back to their compartment, he put Tonks back in her cage. She had seemed a little more anxious before but now she was settling down. Sitting down once more, there was silence for a few moments before it was broken by a boy stumbling into the compartment. He had light blonde hair that had been slicked back. There were several older students jeering at him and instinctively Rose and Albus drew their wands. Rose knew a few simple spells but that was the best any of them would be able to do.

"You're not wanted here Scorpius. You and that ridiculous family of yours. You have a great cheek to be coming here after what your family have a history of."

The boy stammered and Rose, against her better judgement, spoke up. "It doesn't matter about his past or his family; it's him you should get to know first."

The oldest girl in the group, whom Albus realised with a groan, was a Slytherin, turned Rose's way. "The cheek of a first year." She too drew her wand.

But before any spells could be cast, there was a loud cough. "Can I help you ladies and gentlemen?" It was a girl, who was clearly a lot older than the whole group. Albus smiled, relieved. It was Victoire, their oldest cousin, who had been made head girl over the summer. Now they were in safe hands.

The group of students muttered something unintelligible but Victoire had sharp ears. "I don't like people threatening my cousins or any students that have a limited use of magic and I will report you to Professor Scamander if you are seen to repeat it. Do you understand?"

There were quite a few nods and they left meekly. Albus grinned at Rose, if they were sent to the headmistress, Luna Scamander; they could imagine what a good time they would have. Although they would now have to address her as Professor, it would be good to be able to see her once in a while. Victoire turned to the trio.

"Hey Al and Rose." She smiled as the two grinned at her. She turned to Scorpius. "You must be Scorpius Malfoy?"

He nodded miserably. "Nice to meet you."

Victoire had inherited her mother's silvery blonde hair and it glistened in the sun reflecting off the windows. Albus could see why Teddy was dating her. She stuck out her hand and Scorpius took it, uncertainly.

"I'm Victoire Weasley, the new head girl. As I said, if you have any more trouble with that group of Slytherins, don't hesitate to tell me, Robert Dougal the new head boy or your house prefects."

"Thanks."

"I must go." Victoire sighed. "I'm supposed to patrol for a bit. We've got a good six hours ahead of us so you can settle down for a long journey. Did dad give you his presents or did he forget again?"

Albus looked confused. "No, we haven't seen him for two months."

Victoire sighed, drew her wand and muttered something under her breath. Out from her wand came a silvery poodle and it flew out the window and raced away from the train in the direction they had come from.

"Was that –?" Albus asked breathlessly. He had often seen his parents produce a Speaker but never a Hogwarts student.

"Yeah, I got Aunt Hermione to teach me last year so I didn't need to keep using the Hogwarts owls. See you three later at the feast."

With that, she continued down the corridor and Albus went back into the compartment. Rose joined him but Scorpius hesitantly stood at the door. Rose motioned for him to come in but he shook his head.

"I can't, I can't be seen talking to you."

Albus looked confused. "Why not?"

Scorpius looked a little guilty. "Well you're Weasley/Potter. I'm a Malfoy, our families are supposed to hate each other. You saw how they treated me, my name is scum now. I wouldn't dare be seen with you guys who have as cool parents as Harry Potter and Hermione Weasley."

Albus stood up. "We don't mind. I don't think it's fair that they should prejudge you on your name. I don't think we've been properly introduced." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Albus Potter and this is Rose Weasley."

Scorpius shook his head. "I – I'm sorry. I'll see you two later, thanks for the help."

With that he dashed away towards where Victoire had disappeared and was soon out of sight. Confused, the pair went back into the carriage where they closed the window and released Tonks and Gideon, Rose's owl, named after Gideon Prewett, Molly's brother who was killed in the First Wizarding War. They nestled and were eager to explore their new surroundings of the carriage.

After a few hours, the sound of the sweet lady could be heard from the other end of the carriage. Rose and Albus dug in their pockets for the change their parents had given them for this particular moment. There was some cash in their trunks for the return journey but this was where they wanted to spend their money. They knew the range of sweets on offer, from James' description but they were met with a bigger surprise. The trolley was better than ever and overflowing with all of their favourite sweets.

Stuffing their pockets with Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, a copy of the day's Daily Prophet and many other delicacies, they paid the lady and made their way back to their compartment. They laid them on the seat and Albus opened the top of his suitcase. At the top lay the meal that his mother and sister had made for him and his brand new robes. He pulled both of these out and laid the robes to one side. Lily had decorated and Ginny had made his favourite chocolate chip cupcakes with vanilla icing. There were tuna sandwiches and cold chicken drumsticks to share with Rose who had also been given her own lunch. According to Albus' watch, it was gaining on two o'clock and so the pair settled down to start eating.

Within the short space of an hour, both had added to their already fast growing Chocolate Frog card collections. Albus couldn't wait to start trading and was eager to get the only one of the trio missing, his father. He had two of Ron and Hermione and there was just one frog left. He eyed it uncertainly but Rose smiled.

"How about this Al. If it's Uncle Harry or any you haven't got then you get the card and I get the frog. If its one that you have, regardless of whether I have it for not, I get the card and you get the frog, deal?"

He got up and hugged Rose. "Rosie you are the absolute best!"

"But I get to open it."

"Fair deal."

The silence could be cut with a knife. Slowly, Rose picked up the frog, turned it over and took off the wrapping. Before it could escape, she grabbed the enchanted frog as she handed Albus the card.

"It's Harry!" Albus exclaimed in delight. "Thanks Rosie!"

"No problem Al."

Content with what they had eaten, Albus and Rose settled down. It was now gone past three and Rose stepped outside to allow Albus to change. Slipping out of his robes, he looked out the window. The train was now speeding past fields and little villages which were growing further and further apart. He hastily slipped the robes on, fitting the tie and putting on the new shoes his parents had bought him. Albus felt slightly out of place. He had never gone to school before, preferring to be educated at home until his eleventh birthday. Lily would now be getting private tuition from Harry and Ginny, whereas Albus would be at the place that his father had called home and he had become close friends with his mother. He stepped outside the compartment to join Rose who was at the window. He noticed that she had tears silently streaming down her face.

"Rose, what's the matter?"

Hastily she returned to the compartment. "Oh nothing, I'm being silly, that's all."

Albus knew her better. "Come on Rose, there's no need to be ashamed of whatever it is. Are you feeling homesick?"

Rose nodded miserably. "I miss Hugo and mum and dad. I want to be back in the comfort of my own bed and not at some strange place where the only person I know is you."

"Come on Rose, you'll make friends easily. James is here, Dominique, Fred and Victoire are here. Louis will be here next year. You can see Hugo at Christmas, and your parents. Just remember that your parents met here, on the Hogwarts Express. Don't tell me you've forgotten the story!"

Rose smiled through her tears and furiously tried to rub them with the sleeve of her robe. "Mum's parting words on the train: you've got dirt on your nose, did you know? Right there. Priceless, I can't believe she had the nerve to at that age."

"Well apparently she was a complete show off and little know-it-all."

"That's the other thing I'm worried about. Our parents are so famous for what happened 19 years ago. Even dad already recognises I've got mum's brain and I don't want to be seen how she was seen, a stuck up girl trying to make her mark on the wizarding world until she was finally accepted by the coolest kid in the year."

Albus put an arm around her comfortingly. "Hey, don't worry about it. All you have to do is be yourself. I can motion to you if I think you're starting to act like your mum. Hopefully we'll be in the same house, that'll make it easier." Albus thought back to what his parents had said about their time at Hogwarts. "Your dad said that your mum kept sticking her hand up for all the answers. Do that, but not for all of them, even if you know the answer. Tell me a couple!"

Rose laughed and soon they were laughing quite hard. Albus was clever but not as smart as Rose. The sky outside was now getting darker and the tree clumps became thicker and thicker. Rose was sure they were getting nearer. Albus took out the Daily Prophet and scanned the pages for anything interesting. Towards the back, there was something that caught his eye and he nudged Rose, who was fixing her tie.

"Hey Rosie, look at this."

"What is it?"

Albus read the article out loud. "'Two major deaths hit the wizarding world hard. The two latest murders of Unspeakable Dennis Creevey and novelist Miranda Goshawk have been identified as the latest in a string of murders over the past few weeks. Creevey and Goshawk are the fifth and sixth victims of an unknown murder who leaves no trace of being there. Understandably, the Muggle police are baffled but the Muggle Prime Minister has been informed that the best people are on the case. Speaking from the Auror office, Christopher Abbot made a statement: "we are doing everything that we can to stop this unknown person or persons. If anyone has any clue as to whom it may be, please step forward so that we may get the job done quicker to prevent further loss of life." He also made it clear that every member of the wizarding community should be on the look out for abnormal behaviour and strange occurrences.'"

Albus stopped reading there. Rose looked aghast. "An unspeakable and a novelist. This is the first time the person's struck the Ministry. Do you think they'll get the person?"

Albus looked at her incredulously. "Come on Rose, we're talking about our parents here, they'll be caught before the year is out at the very latest. Come on, I think we're getting closer."

Packing the rest of the sweets into their trunks, Albus and Rose fought to get Rose's trunk closed. With the Undetectable Extension Charm on Albus' trunk, it was easily closed within seconds but Rose's took a lot longer. Clearly she too had bought some extra books but hadn't laid them out properly. They spent the next hour, unpacking and repacking her suitcase. Discovering a hidden zipped pocket in the side of the trunk and hiding some items in there, they finally managed to close the suitcase. Exhausted once more, they sat down on the seats. Soon enough, a voice was heard echoing throughout the train.

"We will be arriving at Hogsmeade Station for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in approximately five minutes. Please ensure that you are wearing your robes when you leave the train and that your trunk and animals are safely locked up. Your belongings will be brought up to the castle separately. Please note all first years should make their way towards the rear end of the train where Professor Hagrid will be waiting to escort you by boats. All other years should make their way to the front of the train where the Thestral-drawn carts will be waiting for you. Have a safe term."

With that the message finished and there was a silence throughout the train. Suddenly there was a burst of chatter and the excitement could be felt. Eager to catch a sight of the station, Rose and Albus hurriedly put Gideon and Tonks back in their cages and rushed outside into the corridor. There were several other first years who had thought similarly and had their noses pressed against the windows. The windows were steamed up so Albus used his robe sleeve to wipe away the steam from the nearest window. It was impossible to find the castle behind all the trees but Albus could swear he saw a few lights. It was finally here! This was his day of reckoning and the day that he would finally find the place where he belonged. The train slowed down until it finally stopped at a station marked: Hogsmeade. Eager to explore this new surrounding, Albus and Rose ran for the nearest door and opened it. The cold Scottish air was bracing and a slight welcome from the hot inside of the train. They heard a voice over the chatter.

"First years, over here!"

Towards the rear of the train, they spotted Hagrid who was as large as ever. Fighting through the throng of excited students, they made their way to the front. As soon as Hagrid realised who they were, they were soon the firmest of friends. When all the first years had arrived, some looking more nervous than others, Hagrid led the first years down a path to the shore where several boats were waiting. Albus and Rose immediately got into one and waved for Scorpius to come over. He ignored them and got in with three other people into another boat. The duo was soon joined by two other girls. Once all the first years were in, the boats set off without a word. The lake was calm and the moonlight glistened on the water. As they turned the corner, Hogwarts castle came into sight. 19 years later and still the signs of the fight were there. Lights shone from all over the castle and there was a great collection of sighs as it came fully into view. Albus knew now what James had meant by it was hard to describe. Tall towers dominated the skyline, almost blocking the moon. Albus saw the Quidditch pitch James had talked about to his left. Since the original had been destroyed in the Battle of Hogwarts, it had been reconstructed to be exactly like the original with no changes. Something Albus knew was new was a smaller tower that stood up in the middle of the Entrance Courtyard. It was hard to see from the angle they were coming from but Albus knew it was there. It was a column on which all the names of every Hogwarts student, staff member, ex-student and member of the Order of the Phoenix who had fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. The one's who had died, thankfully, took up only one side of the ornate marble column, but the rest of it was covered with the names. Albus had promised himself to go and visit it at least once a month to read the list over and over again to remind himself of why he was free and alive.

There was a bump as the boats came to the edge of the lake. Now back on dry land, everyone scrambled out of the boats and Hagrid led the way up the grassy bank and up the stone steps. They were impossibly wide but at a good sloping angle. By the time, they reached the top, it was a quite a way down to the bottom where the boats had mysteriously disappeared. Albus looked back up at Hagrid who knocked on the great oak door that now stood before them. Soon enough, a tall, thin man opened the door and turned to Hagrid.

"Thank you Hagrid, I'll take them from here."

He beckoned them all to come inside. Albus and Rose fell into step with the first people and they crossed the threshold into the castle and the Entrance Hall. They climbed a few flights of stairs and then the man stopped.

"Welcome all to your very first year at Hogwarts. My name is Professor Thomas." Albus looked at Rose in excitement. This must be Dean Thomas, one of Harry's room mates when they were at Hogwarts together. "The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily. While you are at Hogwarts, your house will be like your family. Good behaviour and work will earn you points; rule breaking will lose you points. There are four houses here at Hogwarts named after the four founders of Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Within these houses, there are sub-sections of houses which you will be allocated to when you arrive at your house. Your sub-section will be your closer 'family' as it were. They are named after the greatest wizards and witches from within the houses over time. These sub-sections are mixed over the years and genders. Please wait here while I check that everything is ready for you."

With that, Professor Thomas disappeared without a trace. Some people were staring at the spot he had just vacated. Chatter rose up and it seemed that everyone was discussing the houses and sub-sections. Albus knew that James was in Weasley section, named after all the Weasley's who had fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. Victoire had been placed in Dumbledore, named after the person who was believed to be the greatest wizard of all time. Albus and Rose knew all the sub-sections for Gryffindor and Ravenclaw but they weren't so sure about Hufflepuff and Slytherin. But before the two could confer any longer, Professor Thomas apparated into the same spot he had disapparated from. Without another word, the doors at the far end of the room swung open and Professor Thomas motioned for them to get into a line. Albus and Rose stuck together and Albus ended up behind Rose and in front of a boy with untidy, bright blue hair. Recognising the 'symptoms', Albus realised he was a metamorphmagus, like Teddy Lupin. He felt sorry for the boy, who was looking terrified and wanted to change his hair but didn't seem to be able to. Again, he saw the boy trying to screw up his face as if he was concentrating.

But before he could turn around and talk to him, the line started to move and they were in the Great Hall. Thousands of candles floated mid-air and four long pine tables ran the length of the hall. At the end of the hall, the teacher's table ran the width of the hall. He could see Professor Scamander, in her usual bright turquoise robes, right in the middle. Her dirty-blonde hair was almost at her hip again and she surveyed the new first years with interest. She caught Albus' eye and winked and he smiled back at her. Albus looked to his left to find the Gryffindor table. He couldn't spot James or Victoire there but he would find them later. He could see Rose was looking with a frown on her face but before they could say anything, they reached the end. They spread out in a line in front of the steps where a very old hat was now being placed on a stool. Albus knew that this was the Sorting Hat, who sorted each student into the houses. Everyone was staring at it, so Albus too. Soon enough, the brim opened wide and the hat started to sing:

_Peace we have at last my dear friends._

_Peace has fallen on our race, our kind._

_But not without a terrible loss_

_Which we will be reminded of this year._

_The four houses do justice to thousands of years ago_

_But the sub-sections do justice to the recent past:_

_Gryffindor, where bound the brave at heart._

_Where the future Harry Potters and Albus Dumbledore's go._

_Ravenclaw, where the brainiest are placed._

_Where the future Terry Boots and Luna Scamander lie._

_Hufflepuff, where the kind and seeking belong._

_Where the future Hannah Abbots and Cedric Diggorys await._

_Slytherin, where the worst of the kind are left._

_Where the future Voldemorts and Draco Malfoys are left to their fate._

_But each house does not live up to its name,_

_For there may be among you, an anomaly or two._

_There may be a Gryffindor, who is as scared as a mouse,_

_Or a Slytherin with a sincere heart._

_Do not take literally your placing,_

_For you may have a different fate._

_But those who quake and tremble with fear do not._

_Your house will be where you truly belong._

_If your not sure then do not worry, I've done it before._

_You're in safe hands, though I have none,_

_For I am the sorting hat._

With that, the hat fell silent and there was a confused smattering of applause from around the hall. When it finally died down, Professor Thomas stepped up to the platform with a scroll in his hand.

"Now when I call your name, please step forward. I will place the Sorting Hat on your head and you will be sorted. Do not worry if it takes a long time until you are sorted, some are done quicker than others. Adams, Hubert."

A tall boy with a mop of shocking white hair stepped forward. He clearly looked comfortable and quickly the hat declared him: "Slytherin!"

The next few students were divided between Slytherin and Hufflepuff until 'Bletchley, Fern' became the first Gryffindor. Albus turned around to see James towards the front of the table jumping up and down. Albus winked at James who gave him a big thumbs-up. The list continued down and Albus paid little attention to the hat until Professor Thomas read: 'Lupin, Harry'. Albus looked astonished. The metamorphmagus boy he had seen was now making his way to the hat. He turned to Rose.

"Do you think –?"

"We'll have to ask him one day. Maybe Remus had another brother or a cousin he never told Uncle Harry about."

To confirm his allegiances and which family he came from, Harry was soon placed in Gryffindor. The next name on the list was one of the people Albus was most anxious to find the result of: 'Malfoy, Scorpius'. Scorpius was clearly terrified and Albus gave him a small smile as he sat down. Scorpius was on the stool for a long time until the unexpected happened. The sorting hat was declaring him: "Gryffindor!" there was a dead silence. Everyone had heard Scorpius' father mentioned by the Sorting Hat as being a Slytherin. Scorpius had gone even paler than before and Professor Thomas, who was also slightly astonished, had to take the hat off Scorpius and give him a little push towards the Gryffindor table. Albus turned helplessly in James and Victoire's area. Motioning for them to clap, Victoire started to clap followed uncertainly by James. Soon the Gryffindor table was all clapping as Scorpius took his place next to Harry Lupin, whose hair was a pleasant light brown now.

After that awkward sorting, the next sorting went a lot quicker. Sooner than he would have liked, "Potter, Albus" was read out by Professor Thomas. Rose smiled encouragingly as, shakily, Albus walked up to the stool. He stood down and the sorting hat was placed on his head. Suddenly Albus heard a little voice in his ears:

"Ah, another Potter. Interesting, very interesting. Curious mind and plenty of talent and mischief. Clever but unwilling to see it. So where to place you?"

"Not Slytherin, please not Slytherin." Albus whispered, grabbing the edge of the seat tightly.

"Not Slytherin? Oh no my boy. You may have the middle name boy but you're not Slytherin material. You're better suited where you were always destined to be: Gryffindor!"

The last word was shouted so loud that it rang in Albus' ears. Grinning all over with the sound of James, Fred and Victoire whooping, he took the hat off, placed it down on the stool and walked towards the Gryffindor table where he gave James a high-five and sat down next to Charlotte Parker, the last Gryffindor to join the table. Albus diverted his attention from the Sorting to see how many new Gryffindors there were. Quickly counting, he surmised seven boys so far and six girls. Ravenclaw seemed to have gained the least amount of students, but as Albus turned his attention back to the sorting, Ravenclaw were getting a few more students. Soon, the one name cropped up eventually that Albus had been eagerly waiting for: "Weasley, Rose." Albus leaned forward in his seat, two more Gryffindors had joined the table and Albus wanted Rose to have a seat. Rose was on the stool for some time. As she sat there on the stool, the sorting hat was debating in her ears:

"Very, very sharp mind like your mother. But you have so much Gryffindor blood in your family, should I put you there?"

"Please Gryffindor, please Gryffindor." Rose whispered to herself. She had not heard the conversation Albus and Harry had had on platform 9 ¾ but she had guessed that it might work.

"You're so suited to Ravenclaw. Yet you are so bold Miss Weasley, and have such a career ahead of you. I see so much of both of your parents in you Miss Weasley. Well, if I could see it in them, then I do see it in you: Gryffindor!"

Again, shouted out to the whole room Albus stood up cheering as Rose calmly walked down the steps to join Albus at the Gryffindor table. She saw Victoire and James briefly before being engulfed by Albus in a bone-crunching hug. The final sorting was done and the chatter rose up again. Soon Professor Scamander stood up and there was silence over the hall.

"Now, before we become engulfed in our delicious feast. I would like to make a few announcements. First years should be aware, that the Forbidden Forest is completely out of bounds and that the memorial in the Entrance Courtyard may only have flowers or other appropriate decorations placed at the foot. It is not to be misused or ruined as it is part of the history of our school and holds many sad memories for many of the staff here. If you are not aware, copies of a collaborative book made by myself, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement Hermione Weasley, Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt, Aurors Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, and many others can be found in the library. Our caretaker, Mr Filch, has asked me to remind you that magic is forbidden in the corridors and there is a list of banned items which can be found on the door of his office on the second floor. Quidditch trials will take place in the third week of term. Anyone wishing to enter may submit their name to the house prefects or their head of sub-section which is posted in the common rooms. Now let the feast begin!"

With those words, the empty platters filled and Albus was confronted with so many different foods. Piles upon piles of chicken drumsticks, chipolatas, potatoes, peas and many other foods were in mountains in front of him. After Albus had thought he couldn't eat any more came the puddings. Mountains of ice cream and boats of chocolate sauce were dotted down the table. Giant treacle tarts and pieces of chocolate and vanilla cake greeted Albus. Not wanting to waste any of it, he decided to take more. Meanwhile Rose had struck up a conversation with Harry Lupin.

"So, who's your father?"

"John Lupin, a Muggle, my cousin was Remus Lupin, the first wizard in the family. I never met him; I think he was killed in the Battle of Hogwarts with his wife Nymphadora. I guess I had the wizard gene too."

"She was a metamorphmagus too."

Harry looked confused. "A what?"

"She could change her appearance too."

Harry looked relieved at this news. "My father married a Muggle born who carried the gene but she died when I was very young. She was a bit of an experimenter. One day, she was practising a new spell she thought she had devised but it went disastrously wrong. The only thing we could find of her was bits of his hair."

Rose looked shocked. "But that's dreadful!"

"I know. I was five so I don't remember her that much. When I was first born, apparently my hair kept changing every hour. When I was growing up, I thought I was some sort of freak and when I got to Hogwarts, everybody would laugh at me. I thought it was some kind of condition. My father had no idea that mum carried the gene."

Albus chipped in. "My dad has the same name as you, Harry. His godson, Teddy, is a metamorphmagus as well and he left Hogwarts as head boy last year. Everyone was a bit envious apparently that he could change his hair at will."

Harry's jaw dropped open. "You're Harry Potter's son?"

Albus grimaced. "Albus Potter, nice to meet you."

"I'm named after him. My mother was a lady called Susan Yates and she found out all about the Battle and wanted to name her son after someone with such a distinctive and amazing story. My father was made to read the book my mum found and promptly agreed. So if Remus was my cousin…"

"That makes Teddy your first cousin once removed." Rose finished off promptly. Harry looked at her flabbergasted. "I do the maths quite easily."

"She's got her mother's brains." Albus explained. "This is Rose Weasley; her parents are Ron Weasley of the auror office and Weasley Wizard Wheezes and Hermione Weasley, Head of Magical Law Enforcement."

Harry looked even more shocked then he had before. "Wow. You guys are like practically royalty round here then."

Rose shook her head. "We don't think of ourselves like that. We want to think ourselves as normal wizards and witches who just happen to have famous parents. Very famous in Albus' case. His mother is Ginny Potter, captain of the Holyhead Harpies, the all-female Quidditch team."

There was an awkward silence as Harry looked from Albus to Rose and back again. Before any of them could speak, Professor Scamander tapped her glass.

"Now that we are all well-watered and fed, its time for bed. Your timetables will be given to you tomorrow morning during breakfast."

Slowly and groaning, everyone got up from the table. The Gryffindor prefects beckoned them to follow them and meekly, the first years followed in pairs. Clearly the years above were also eager to get to the dormitories so they raced on ahead. Up the staircases they went and often they were almost caught out by moving staircases. Worn out and shattered as they climbed the seventh and final staircase, they reached a portrait of a very fat lady who stared the prefect at the front in the eye.

"Password."

"Albus Dumbledore." The prefect replied solidly.

The portrait swung open to reveal a large hole which they all clambered through. The prefect lead the first years to the side as the older years streamed past them up the spiral staircase. There were several squashy armchairs and a large roaring fire. A chess set could be seen in the corner and there was a large window seat, big enough for at least three people. When the last of the years were going up, the prefect began to talk.

"Welcome first years to the Gryffindor common room and to Gryffindor tower. Your dormitories are up the staircase where everyone has just gone through. Boys, take the first left and it is the first doors either side of you. Girls, it is the same on your right. There are four sub-sections here in Gryffindor tower: Dumbledore, Weasley, McGonagall and Potter. They are named after the four greatest families and members of staff of recent times. These names change every thirty years although the system has only been in use since Professor Scamander became headmistress of the school two years ago. I will read out your names, your dormitory number and your sub-section, so please listen carefully. Fern Bletchley – 1 – McGonagall. Christopher Chuck – 2 – Weasley. Elizabeth Finnigan – 2 – Dumbledore. Danielle Grogan – 2 – Weasley. Theodore Harrison – 1 – McGonagall. Lucy Longbottom – 2 – McGonagall. Harry Lupin – 1 – Potter. Scorpius Malfoy – 1 – Weasley. Isabelle Osseo – 1 – Dumbledore. Albus Potter – 1 – Dumbledore." Albus grinned happily. That meant he was in the same sub-section as Victoire! "Klaus Rockwell – 2 – Potter and Rose Weasley – 2 – Potter. You will find that all of your belongings have already been taken up to your various dormitories. Any queries about your dormitories need to be taken to Professor Thomas, who is head of Gryffindor. If you are stuck with any work, do feel free to come and speak to myself, Winston Freeman, or Sandra Ely, the other Gryffindor prefect. This year's head girl and boy are Victoire Weasley of Gryffindor, sub-section Dumbledore and Robert Dougal of Hufflepuff, sub-section Abbot. If you are scared to go to a teacher, they are your next best option beside us prefects. There are two prefects per house per fifth and sixth year. The first sub-section group meetings will take place in here tomorrow straight after lessons finish, be sure to be here and on time. The morning bell will be rung at eight o'clock. Breakfast will begin at eight thirty promptly tomorrow. Lessons commence at nine fifteen."

With that, Winston Freeman dismissed the first years and they made their way up the spiral staircase. Waving goodbye to each other, Rose and Albus made their way into their various dormitories. Albus pushed open the door on his left marked '1' and went inside. He immediately spotted his bed, one by a large window, where Tonks was perched. He quickly let her out of her cage and opened the window. She nipped him affectionately and flew out to go to the Owlery.

"Nice owl you've got." Harry said behind Albus.

Albus jumped at his voice. "Oh thanks, she's called Tonks after Nymphadora Tonks. All our family pets are named after people who died in the year 1997-1998. Her full name is Tonks Nymphadora Hedwig Potter. Hedwig was my father's owl who saved his life by taking a killing curse for him at the beginning of his seventh year."

As he unpacked his trunk, Albus studied the final member of the dormitory, Theodore Harrison. He was a tall boy with crazy blonde hair that stuck out at odd angles. It was a dirty blonde with brown highlights and he had broad shoulders, just right for a beater Albus thought. As he started to unpack, there was a small continuous noise coming from one corner of the room. Turning around from his trunk, he saw Scorpius Malfoy sitting on his bed with his head in his hands. Albus couldn't fully hear what he was saying but it sounded like: "he's going to kill me; he's going to kill me." Sensing the boy's distress, Albus went and sat down next to him.

"Are you alright Scorpius?"

Scorpius turned to face him, his cheeks stained with tears. "No, I'm not. My father is going to kill me when he hears that I've been placed in Gryffindor. My family will disown me. My whole family on my father's side have been put into Slytherin. They were expecting me to be in Slytherin. Now I'm in Gryffindor, if I tell him…"

The clearly upset boy burst into tears and the others were all gathered around him. Theodore nodded in understanding. "That explains a lot. When everyone heard the word 'Malfoy' they would have presumed automatic Slytherin placement. But with you being put into Gryffindor, no-one clapped to start because everyone was so shocked with the Sorting Hat's decision."

Albus turned to him. "Are you –?"

Theodore nodded. "Muggle born? Yeah. I was so surprised when Professor Scamander turned up on my doorstep."

"What do I do Albus?" Albus thought about it and looked to Harry for help. Harry had no idea either and shrugged his shoulders and there was an awkward silence. Eventually Albus spoke.

"We must sleep now, but in the morning, I can talk to my older brother James. He may be able to give some advice. Or Dominique might be a better choice." Answering Harry, Scorpius and Theodore's confused looks, "I have three cousins further up in the school as well as an older brother in the second year and a cousin in our year, Rose Weasley. We can sort it out for you. I know Professor Scamander too; she may be able to postpone sending the letters home."

Scorpius looked startled. "Letters, what letters?"

"Every first year has a letter sent home on the morning after the sorting; informing the parents or guardians which house they have been sorted into. I'll go before breakfast."

Scorpius looked gratefully at Albus. "Thanks Albus."

"Hey, call me Al, everyone does nowadays."

After a short and awkward pause, everyone went back to their unpacking. At the top of Albus' trunk, lay a Gryffindor scarf and several Gryffindor ties to be worn for the rest of the year and his school career. As he climbed into bed, Albus reached into his trouser pocket and drew out what looked like a gold Galleon. Pressing his thumb to the coin, a little screen appeared and Albus typed quickly. They had last been in use 19 years ago, but Albus hoped that it would get through soon enough. Worrying about Scorpius and his parents, Albus fell asleep, dreaming of screaming parents and crying children.


	3. Malfoy, Quidditch and Lots of Trouble

**Chapter 3**

Rose was roused by the morning bell. Looking to her left, she saw Lucy Longbottom, her new friend also stretching and rubbing her sleepy eyes. She had the same dark brown hair as her father but Rose noticed a slight wave in it, that she knew Professor Longbottom didn't have. She wasn't sure who Lucy's mother was, but she was determined to find out about the fellow first-years whom she recognised the surnames of. Quickly changing, she slipped out of the dormitory and found Albus in the common room, about to leave the tower.

"Al, I got your message, where are you going?"

She held up a similar Galleon. The Protean charm Hermione had placed on the Galleons clearly still worked but Albus didn't smile.

"To the third floor where I'm meeting Dominique. James is meeting me there and we're talking then. Vic and Fred haven't replied yet so I assume they're still asleep."

"I'll come too then. If one Potter or Weasley has a problem, we all do."

The look of determination in her eyes was so fierce that Albus willingly allowed her to follow him. In order to be able to communicate with the other members of the family, Harry and Hermione had salvaged some DA coins and checked the Protean charms on them. They had not needed to create new one's as Teddy had given his to Albus and there had been one spare for Rose.

They made their way up the stairs of the castle, which was still eerily quiet and reached the third floor. Reading his coin, Albus opened the door and walked down a hallway. Soon they reached another door which opened as they approached and they were in another corridor where they could see Dominique around half-way down the corridor. For safety measures, Albus drew and raised his wand and the two girls did the same.

"The last words Albus Dumbledore spoke to Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt together?" Dominique asked in a dull but serious voice.

Albus replied solidly. "Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him."

They lowered their wands and Albus and Rose went up to Dominique. She was another redhead unlike her sister and brother but it was curly and fell down to her shoulders. She was a fourth year and was tipped already to become a Ravenclaw prefect.

"So, what's the problem?"

"Basically, Scorpius Malfoy was really cut up last night. He's a Malfoy so obviously everyone thought he would be sorted into Slytherin. His parents are going to find out when the house letters are sent home and apparently they'll disown him. He's feeling terribly down and is so worried what his parents will say. You know Mr Malfoy and his father, they're both terrible pieces of work." Albus spoke very quickly and precisely. There was a silence as both Dominique and Rose looked at him in shock.

"That's dreadful. What are you going to do?" Dominique looked shocked.

"Can't you try and postpone the letter being sent?" Rose asked.

"Generally, they get sent after breakfast." Dominique informed Rose and there was a pause as she thought. "The only way Albus would be able to stop the letter being sent, would be to go up to Luna during breakfast and ask for his not to be sent just yet."

"That's what I thought. I've told him I'm going to try and do my best. I don't know how to console him though." Albus was clearly worried. Dominique looked at him with a sense of sadness.

"You can't really do anything, sorry Al. you'll just have to tell him that you are trying to do everything and make him feel better."

Rose nodded. "I'll send a letter to mum and ask her advice. She would know what to do and is wise enough not to mention it to Mr Malfoy."

Albus smiled. "Thanks you two."

Conference over, they made their way together down to breakfast. Just as they were coming out to the stairs, James rushed up to them.

"Hey guys, what did I miss?"

Albus groaned, it was so typical of James to arrive too late. "Meeting's over James, you can catch up later."

"Hey, which sub-secs are you two?"

"Dumbledore like Victoire."

"Potter like Fred."

"Cool, shame you aren't in Weasley. Then again, we can't all be in exactly the same things."

Together the quartet made their way down to breakfast which was a lot harder as more and more students seemed to be appearing from every door and staircase. As they entered the great hall, they split up. Albus couldn't recognise the Gryffindor table as so many students were milling around the different tables with the different houses. Not wanting to waste time over the letter, Albus pulled Rose down the main space between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuffs tables down to the high table. Luna was sitting in the headmistresses seat and smiled when she saw Albus and Rose come up to her.

"Hello you two. I'm glad you're here finally."

Albus grinned. "So are we Professor Scamander. Can we talk to you?"

"Of course."

Albus and Rose leaned in but Luna shook her head. "Come here you two." She beckoned them to the side where she got up and joined them. "Now I can see the worry on your face, what is the problem? Are there any Nargles in your room? I can ask Mr Filch to get rid of them if that is so."

Rose smiled. "No it isn't that but thanks for the thought Professor."

"Have you sent the house letters yet?" Albus became serious.

Luna was confused. "I will be writing them after breakfast, why?"

Albus, with Rose's help explained the whole situation with Scorpius and what had happened the previous evening. Luna went from confused to serious and when he had finished speaking, there was a long pause.

"I see. Yes it wouldn't be wise at the present time to send his letter. I myself was very confused about the sorting hat's placement in Gryffindor but his mother was a Ravenclaw, so there really was no way of knowing. You two are completely right. I shall ensure that Mr Malfoy's letter is not sent to his parents but that he can tell them himself when he is ready. You two better get back to your house table, the food will arrive soon and you will be given your timetables."

"Thank you Professor Scamander." Rose smiled.

Feeling much better about the whole situation, Albus and Rose wound their way over to the Gryffindor table to where the first years were sitting. Albus sat next to Harry Lupin but quickly jumped up when he saw a little commotion further down the table. Scorpius was clearly in trouble, being surrounded by older years, several of whom were from other houses. Digging out his fake Galleon, he quickly sent a message saying: Scorpius in trouble half way down. Need as many as possible, A. He started to make his way down to see what was going on. The group of approximately 12 students were starting to hit Scorpius and he went down quickly to the floor and out of sight. Running through the throng of watching students, he barged past the attackers and got down next to Scorpius.

"Hey, are you okay?"

It was a stupid question. Scorpius now had a broken nose and blood was trickling down his face. His robes were torn but Albus pulled out his wand.

"Reparo," he commanded, pointing his wand at the robes. It was the only spell he knew how to work properly and sure enough the robes were looking a lot better. The attackers turned on him.

"Aw look. Another ickle first year come to help the traitor. If we don't finish you off now, then later in the year you will pay."

Albus was terrified but knew he had to do something. He stood up and was about to speak when there was a cough from behind him.

"Is there a problem here?"

Albus turned at the recognisable voice to see Fred, James and Dominique all with their wands drawn and pointed at the attackers. Although they outnumbered the trio, Albus and Scorpius, the attackers decided wisely to leave it. With one of the cleverest witches of her age, a prefect and a boy with famous parents with their wands pointed at them, it would have been a bad move to provoke any further attack.

"Malfoy has clearly been placed in Gryffindor house for a reason. Although it may not be entirely sure what that reason is, by mocking him for his placement, you are questioning the over-riding authority of the sorting hat that has been sorting students for thousands of years and therefore questioning the authority of its creator, Godric Gryffindor. If you have a problem with Malfoy because of his sorting, then take it to the teachers not out on him. It isn't his fault; no one deserves to be punished for the actions of others. Now before the three of us hex you with the full force and support of the head girl, I suggest that you leave Harry Potter's son and his friend alone. We don't want to hear of any more trouble; otherwise we will report you all to your heads of houses and therefore Professor Scamander. I am sure you don't want that, do you?" Dominique finished.

Mumbling "no", the attackers departed back to their respective house tables where the food was already there. Albus gave the three of them a big hug.

"Thanks guys so much. They were about to start on me too."

"Al, all you have to do, is tell them that you're Harry Potter's son and they'll be so awed that they probably won't attack you." Fred grinned. "Sorry, I overslept and missed the meeting. Dom filled James and I in as we made our way over."

"That's okay Fred, good to see you."

Albus helped Scorpius up. "Do you want me to fix that?" Dominique said.

"Can you?" Scorpius asked.

Dominique pointed her wand directly at Scorpius' nose. "Episkey." There was a cracking sound and his nose stopped bleeding and looked a lot more central than it had done. "I can clear the blood too. I haven't tried it on a person but I suppose the same thing can apply."

"Sure."

"Evansco."

Sure enough, the blood was gone from Scorpius' face. With his stomach rumbling, Albus sat in between Harry, who was on the verge of finishing his third sausage, and Scorpius. Rose had disappeared. They settled down and soon Rose came running up followed closely by Professor Thomas.

"Where have you – oh good morning Professor Thomas." Albus was very confused as he, Harry and Scorpius hurriedly stood up from their seats and climbed over to the aisle side of the benches.

"As soon as I got your message I went to get Professor Thomas." Rose explained.

"Mr Lupin you can sit down, I need to talk to Mr Potter and Mr Malfoy. Now tell me exactly what I have missed." Professor Thomas asked gravely.

Albus and Scorpius, with the help of James who was a few places down, explained the whole story. Professor Thomas looked a lot graver than when he had first come over.

"Would you be able to point out to me who your attackers were?" he asked Scorpius kindly.

"I – I – I don't know but I could try Professor. Al," Scorpius turned to Albus helplessly, "would you –?"

"Of course." Albus reassured him.

Professor Thomas nodded. "Thank you boys. Tell your brother Albus and your cousins that they may be needed as well for identification purposes."

"Yes Professor." Albus nodded and drew out his coin. Professor Thomas looked surprised.

"Are those DA coins?"

"Yes Professor. My father and aunt managed to salvage some from some members of the DA. We now use them to communicate between the six of us here at Hogwarts. We can all write messages to each other rather than just one of us."

"Very good."

As he turned away, Albus remembered something. "Oh and Professor?"

"Yes?"

"My parents send their best wishes."

"Thank you Mr Potter. Do send mine back. Your timetables will be arriving shortly"

"Of course Professor, thank you." Albus nodded.

With Professor Thomas gone, Albus wrote the message and sent it. Soon the Galleon was very hot as the messages, when received, heat the coin. They all contained one word: yes. Content with the morning's expedition, Albus settled down for a third time to eat breakfast. As he was consuming his final piece of toast, there was a commotion and suddenly a hundred or so owl flew overhead. They landed in several places all over the room and some owls circled above the students, looking for their owners. Albus didn't get anything this morning but Scorpius was greeted by a tawny owl with a great plume of chocolate brown feathers. There was a letter attached and silence fell around the boys and girls near him. It was addressed in very stiff writing and Scorpius was clearly terrified of its contents.

"That isn't a Howler, Malfoy, don't worry." Rose tried to reassure him.

"I know, thanks Weasley. But I don't know what grandfather is doing, writing to me. I haven't seen him in years."

"Open it, don't worry."

Trembling, Scorpius took the letter and immediately the bird took off. He turned it over and opened the flap. The letter fell out and Scorpius picked it up tentatively.

"Read it out Scorpius, I'm sure it can't be too bad."

"You read it Al, I don't think I can."

Albus took the letter from Scorpius. He knew about Scorpius' grandfather, Lucius Malfoy, a renowned Death Eater and supporter of Lord Voldemort when he was in power. He read it softly so that no-one but Scorpius and Rose could hear it.

"Scorpius. I know it has been a long time since we have seen each other and I trust that you are settling into Slytherin house very well." Albus stopped awkwardly. Scorpius had gone deathly white.

"Continue."

"I say Slytherin house, because your whole family has expected you to go nowhere else. Please send my regards to Professor Zabini, your head of house, who was a close friend of your father's. I also write this to tell you that your grandmother has died. She was ill for a long time, hence why we have not been able to see each other. I hope that you have plenty of friends to comfort you and I know that it comes at an awkward time, immediately after your start at Hogwarts. I look forward to seeing you and your parents at Christmas, Lucius." Albus ended the letter and there was silence. Scorpius was as white as a sheet. "Sorry about your grandmother Scorpius."

"That's okay, we were never close. It was just an excuse for him to impress on me, the importance of me being in Slytherin is. They're both going to kill me."

Albus and Rose didn't know what to say. Albus slipped the letter back into the envelope and tucked it into the top pocket of Scorpius' robes. Soon Professor Thomas came round with the timetables. As he delivered Scorpius and Albus' timetables, Albus spoke.

"Professor, I don't think Scorpius is feeling well. May I take him up to the hospital wing?"

Professor Thomas looked surprised. "Yes Potter you can. Do you know the way?"

"No Professor."

Professor Thomas quickly scanned around the Gryffindor table. "Wood."

A burly fourth year came up. "Potter this is Edward Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. Wood, could you escort these two up to the hospital wing. Malfoy is clearly not feeling well."

Wood nodded. "Yes Professor."

Before they could leave though, Professor Thomas stopped them. "Wood, what class do you have next?"

He checked his timetable. "Double Ancient Runes."

"Can you ask one of your peers to tell Professor Vector that you will be late?"

Before Wood could move, Albus spoke. "I can tell Dominique Weasley Professor. She's Wood's year and does Ancient Runes. I can use the coins."

"That would be a good idea Potter. What do you have next?"

Albus checked the piece of paper he had been given. "Double charms with the Slytherins, Professor."

"Will Miss Weasley be able to explain your absence?"

Rose answered for him. "Of course Professor Thomas, happily."

Professor Thomas nodded. "Very well then, off you three go."

"Thank you Professor," the three boys murmured as they walked towards the doors.

The hospital wing was located on the fourth floor, on the right hand side of the castle. Scorpius was close to fainting by the time they reached the wing and both Albus and Edward Wood had to carry him in. Madam Pomfrey came bustling up to them.

"Oh dear, what's happened?"

Albus explained the events and the background for the umpteenth time to Madam Pomfrey and Edward Wood. As she took Scorpius over to a bed, Albus quickly sent a message to Dominique who automatically replied with yes. Putting the coin back in his pocket, he went over to where Scorpius was lying. Edward turned to Albus.

"Well Potter, I better is off to lessons. Do you think Malfoy will be okay?"

"Eventually, thanks Wood."

"Could you tell your brother that we have regroup practise this Thursday? I take it he's brought his broom?"

"Of course." Albus grinned. James never went anywhere without his beloved Firebolt 4. "Is he back on the team this year? I thought he was only on the team for one game."

"Our main chaser left last year and I was suggested that he should replace her."

"How good a chaser is he? I can't wait to see him."

"Well with parents like Harry and Ginny Potter, its no wonder that he's a talented lad. Are you going to try out this year?"

"I don't know. I didn't know first years were allowed to try out."

"I'm coming to all the first flying lessons and observing with the other house captains. Only the best will get invited to the tryouts for the house teams. Are you confident?"

Albus thought about it. James had never let him go on his broom, but his father had sometimes let him go on his ancient Firebolt. "Fairly confident. You'll have to wait and see."

Wood clapped him on the back. "Good lad. Now you better go and see to your friend."

Albus nodded and Wood left the hospital wing as looked down at Scorpius. He was in a right state. His hands were shaking and his face was still white. Madam Pomfrey came over with a flagon that was steaming.

"Pepperup potion." She explained to Albus. "You should feel much better soon Mr Malfoy if you drink this."

Albus helped Scorpius sit up on his cushions and he took a sip from the flagon. Immediately he started to look a little better. The colour was starting to come back into his cheeks. His hands were still shaking, so Albus took the cup and tipped some more into Scorpius' mouth. He looked at the clock on the wall, nine thirty. Each lesson at Hogwarts was fifty minutes long and with double charms, it meant he had only lost 15 minutes of a lesson that was 1 hour 40 minutes long. He couldn't complain.

When Scorpius had finished his potion, he was beginning to look a lot better. His hands had stopped shaking, just, and he was beginning to colour a little. Madam Pomfrey came over.

"You're looking a lot better Mr Malfoy. I think it would be best if you stayed here for another hour. Mr Potter, you better get back to class now. Ask Professor Flitwick if you can be dismissed ten minutes early to escort Mr Malfoy back down to the Gryffindor common room. Do you know where the Charms classroom is?"

"No Madam Pomfrey."

"Go up to the fifth floor on this side, go through the door and there are four doors on your left as you go down the corridor. Take the third one and go down two spiral staircases. When you get down to the bottom of the second one, there should be a small room and the door to the classroom is at the end of the room. Have you got that?"

Albus nodded. "I think so, thanks."

He went out of the hospital wing and followed the instructions that Madam Pomfrey had given him. His coin was heating slightly and so he took it out as he reached the spiral staircase. It was from Rose. 'Where are you? How long are you going to be? I have your books.' Albus smiled. It was typical of Rose to be worrying like that. He didn't bother to reply but went down the two staircases and through the wooden door at the end. The classroom had two sets of long pine tables and chairs either side. Professor Flitwick was a tiny man who was barely visible beneath all the books stacked on his desk. He was giving a lecture but stopped when he saw Albus.

"Ah Mr Potter. Do come in. Miss Weasley has explained your delayed arrival, so you can catch up with what you have missed at the end of the lesson."

"Thank you Professor."

With quite a few eyes on him, Albus slipped into one of the empty seats in the front row next to Theodore Harrison. Professor Flitwick resumed his lecture on the importance of charms and Albus wondered how Rose managed to stay awake. But soon it was over and he had them all trying the basic charm to repair things. Albus was confident about this spell and so was easily through with the lesson. After he had finished repairing the last of the broken objects that were placed in front of him, he made his way over to Professor Flitwick.

"Excuse me Professor."

"Yes my dear boy."

"I was just wondering if it would be okay if I left the lesson ten minutes early. Madam Pomfrey asked me to come up a bit early so that I could escort Scorpius Malfoy back to the Gryffindor common room. I can give him the notes that Rose has lent me from the beginning of the lesson and we can practise the spell after the sub-section meetings."

Professor Flitwick nodded. "Of course my dear boy. Now get back and continue to practise."

"Sir I've already done all the objects."

Professor Flitwick looked over at his place in surprise. "So you have. You better take one of the exercise books and copy out the notes Miss Weasley has made until you need to leave. Maybe help Mr Harrison over there, he looks as if he could do with some help."

Smiling, Albus turned around. Sure enough, Theodore had managed to do more damage to the objects than good. Albus hurried over and tried to help him.

"you have to move your wand with a little less jabbing and more bringing it down on top of it." He instructed kindly. "Let me show you."

He pointed his wand at the shattered clay jar in front of him, and said "reparo" as he gently brought the tip of his wand in contact with the largest part of the jar. Sure enough the jar gathered up all the pieces and put itself back together again.

"Now you try." Albus said, promptly knocking over the jar so that it broke again.

Unsure, Theodore copied Albus and sure enough it worked for him too. Theodore grinned.

"Thanks Albus."

"Hey, no problem. Knock over a couple of my things and try to repair them once you're done. I need to talk to Rose."

Smiling at himself, Albus made his way over to where Rose was sitting next to a Slytherin girl and having a much harder time. She was being teased about her red hair but Albus was having none of it.

"Hey rose, can I copy your notes?"

Rose shook her head. "Sorry Al, but Zabini here has messed up my notes, I can't even read them myself."

Albus knew the look on his cousin's face; she was on the verge of tears. Trying to look confident, he pointed his wand at Rose's notes. "Reparo" he said firmly. The notes flew back together and dried so that Rose could read the notes. He turned to the girl next to Rose.

"I don't like it when people spoil my family's hard work. Please leave Rose alone Zabini or you will have five of us to answer to."

She smiled sweetly. "Oh don't worry, I won't. As long as you don't barge in on my business. Weasley here is such a piece of blood traitor, I wouldn't dare go near her."

Albus drew his wand. "Say that again and I will ensure you get worse than what's coming for you."

Her face hardened. "You're only a first year. You only know as much as me."

"Oh yeah?" Albus challenged. "Do you have four older family members high in the school including a prefect and the head girl who would be able to hex you with their eyes closed? I would be careful what you say Zabini, or you'll get worse punishment than what you're going to get for calling a member of Harry Potter's family a blood traitor. No-one messes with any Weasley or Potter or they'll have several Hogwarts students and members of the Ministry of Magic coming after them. Understood?"

The girl had paled slightly but she stood her ground. "Have you got a head of house for a father? You think you are so high and mighty because you have Harry Potter as a father, but that just means that you're going to end up stuck up and abusing your family ties to threaten people. You won't end up popular here Potter if you carry on like that."

"James has done it for the past year and it works perfectly fine. I don't intend on abusing my family ties except to warn people that I do have a lot of people who will support me if I hex you, when I've learnt to."

Before either of them could speak, Rose chimed in. "this isn't going to get anywhere. Al here, take my notes." She gathered them up and handed them to Albus.

Still scowling, he turned his back on Rose and went back to his place. He sat down, opened the exercise book in front of him and started to copy down the notes. Halfway through writing the notes, he felt his top robe pocket heat up slightly, indicating he had a message. Ensuring Professor Flitwick couldn't see, he took it out and read it. It was from Rose: thanks Al. In future, don't be so aggressive, take it calmly or we'll all get detention. Zabini will be after you. Can I have the notes as soon as you're done? Albus smiled. Rose always knew what to say. He quickly replied: thanks Rose, I'll bear that in mind. She will get reported next time I see her teasing you or anyone. She's got as much cheek as I have! Sure you can have the notes back soon, half way through now, and I'll keep an eye out for Zabini. Al. looking at his watch as he sent it, Albus saw he only had twenty minutes to copy all of Rose's notes down. Scribbling away, he struggled to make them as neat as Rose's but strived as he intended to recognise what they said for the end of year exams.

With ten minutes until the end of the lesson and all the notes copied down, Albus turned to Theodore who still struggled getting all the pieces together in the right place. Albus had patiently let him show Theodore how to do it, but there was something that was always not quite right.

"Hey Theo, I got to go. I'll help you later after sub-secs okay?"

Theodore nodded and Albus put up his hand. Professor Flitwick noticed it and nodded to release him. Albus collected his notes, gave Rose's back to her and walked out of the classroom. He made his way down the stairs to the hospital wing but was met by a Professor he didn't know.

"You boy, what's your name?"

"Potter sir, Albus Potter."

The Professor smiled. "So you're Harry's second boy, what a pleasure to meet you. I'm Professor McLaggen, I teach Quidditch here. Are you going to be doing flying lessons this term?"

Albus looked startled. He had heard of Cormac McLaggen but had never met him in person. "Yes, I think so Professor."

"Good lad. What are you doing out of lessons?"

"I have to escort a fellow first year back to the common room from the hospital wing. He had a nasty shock this morning and was taken ill."

"Well send him my best and I hope the pair of you will attend the lessons."

"I will ask if he wants to sir, good day."

With that Albus hurried off to the hospital wing, where Scorpius looked much better and was out of bed.

"I've been waiting for you for ages. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let me go by myself just in case."

"Sorry Scorpius, I got intercepted on my way here by Professor McLaggen who teaches Quidditch. He knows my dad."

"Most of the Professors here probably do Al." Scorpius smiled, the first time he had since Albus had met him. Albus turned to Madam Pomfrey who had come out of her office.

"Can he go Madam Pomfrey?"

"Of course. Take it easy for the rest of the day Mr Malfoy and go to bed early. That is the best I can say."

Nodding and murmuring their thanks, the two boys left the hospital wing. As they went up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room, they started to talk.

"So what was Charms like?" Scorpius asked.

"Dead boring at first. He gave us all a lecture about Charms and the importance in our day-to-day lives. That took up the first forty-five minutes. Then we did some practical work and I had to copy out Rose's notes from the stuff I had missed. I got you an exercise book so you can copy out my notes."

"Thanks Al. what do we have next?"

Albus pulled his timetable out. "Double Herbology with the Ravenclaws and then double Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Hufflepuffs."

"I've heard Professor Longbottom is great with his Herbology."

"Yeah, apparently it was the only O he got in his NEWTS. Professor McMillan is supposed to be quite confident in his knowledge of the Dark Arts. I hear he was in the Battle of Hogwarts."

"Well, we're in for some good lessons then!"

They had reached the portrait of the fat lady and muttering the password, they climbed into the Gryffindor common room. Albus nodded to the chess set and Scorpius grinned. Albus had played Dominique several times and lost quite a bit but he was getting better and was now teaching Lily. The game was fierce and furious. Most of the Gryffindor students came in for break and were eagerly watching the game. There was a tense atmosphere, and apart from the two boys playing their moves, there was complete silence. Eventually Scorpius played his final move. He was white and had a king, queen and castle and Albus had a king and pawn. He had placed Albus in a classic trap and Al knew it.

"Castle to H1!"

Sure enough the castle moved to its respective position and the black king took off his crown and threw it on the floor.

"Checkmate." Scorpius said simply, smiling.

Albus shook his head at his own foolishness. There was a huge cheer from the spectators and the two boys shook hands. Racing up to his dormitory, Albus went and collected his books for the next two lessons. His mind was racing, was he good enough to play for the Gryffindor Quidditch team? Would he ever be able to live up to the standards of his older brother, who was clearly a natural flier?

When lunch came, after Herbology, Albus was still mulling the idea over in his mind. Shattered already, he collapsed into a seat next to Harry. Rose was already scribbling down something and Albus looked at her.

"What on earth are you doing?"

"homework." She replied simply.

"Its lunch time."

"I know, I want to get it over and done with as soon as I can."

Albus rolled his eyes as the other boy's laughed. He quickly got out his coin and typed a message: too Hermione. Wait 'till after DADA and sub-secs. You can do it then, and help me! Al. sending it, he hurriedly replaced it in his pocket and looked up to see the plates now mounted with food. He helped himself and began to eat. Sure enough, Rose was looking at the table, or at least under it to the coin, smiled and then packed up her things. Albus gave her a wink and she smiled gratefully. Soon the conversation turned to Quidditch.

"Is anyone planning to go to the Quidditch lessons? I've heard their really good and that Professor McLaggen is a decent teacher, if not a little quick-tempered." Albus asked interestedly.

"Quick tempered is one way of putting it." Elizabeth Finnegan laughed a few places down. "My dad told me how once Professor McLaggen got so annoyed with your dad one game that he bashed him over the head with a beater's bat. It'll be fun to try though."

" I heard that one too. Dad has quite a few stories up his sleeve." Albus smiled. "I'm thinking of going and I've met the Gryffindor Quidditch captain Edward Wood. His dad is Oliver Wood, captain for England. He was the one who led the team to the final of the Quidditch world cup three years ago. The next world cup is here next year. So is anyone going to go?"

There was an awkward pause. Some looked slightly unsure. It was Scorpius who then spoke up. "I'm going to try. It would be cool to be the first Gryffindor with Malfoy on the back of his robes if I got on the team. We're supposed to be Gryffindors, brave and courageous and all that. We should check it out."

There were murmurs of agreement as Albus remembered something hurriedly. Taking out his coin, he relayed Wood's message to James and sent it quickly so he didn't forget.


	4. SubSections

**Chapter 4**

Sub-sections were to start after the final lesson of the day, and for the first-year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, it was Defence Against the Dark Arts. As they streamed out of the classroom, the first year Gryffindors streamed up the staircase, eager to get to their first sub-secs. It had not been made clear what they were for and this tension grew as they neared the Fat Lady. Giving the password, Rose lead the way into the common room. For once, it was oddly silent despite the amount of people in the room. Gryffindor house was the second largest house in the school, after Hufflepuff and there were people sitting on the floor, drawing up chairs from thin air and perching on the window seats and various chairs and armchairs that were dotted around the room. Most of the house was already there and so the first years hurriedly found themselves corners and spaces on the floor to sit down. As the last of the students came into the common room, Victoire, who was standing by the fireplace with Winston Freeman and a girl who Rose presumed was Sandra Ely, started to speak.

"Welcome all, to the first sub-section meeting of the year and to the first years, of your Hogwarts career. The four sub-sections are here to assist any Gryffindor in their hour of need and offer advice and help with any schoolwork and personal issues. Each sub-section has a head of section that are chosen from the seventh year each year. As head girl and a member of Dumbledore, Professor Thomas has appointed myself as head of Dumbledore."

There was a murmur of agreement. Rose knew that Victoire was a popular girl amongst the Gryffindors and it had come to no surprise. "Head of McGonagall," Sandra took over, "is Simon Regan." There was a loud round of applause and a boy near Albus buried his head in his hands. It was clearly an honour to be chosen and he looked pleased. He was a good-looking boy with sharp blue eyes and a round face. "The head of Potter is Claudia Creevey!" there was a polite round of applause as a girl next to Rose with blonde hair and brown streaks smiled and went slightly red. Rose remembered the name Creevey as a name her father had spoken of as a boy in Aunt Ginny's year and two years below her. Perhaps she was related.

"Finally, the head of Weasley," Winston spoke, "is Orson Yates." Again there was a round of applause as a boy by the fireplace stood up and took a mock bow. There were wolf-whistles from around the common room and plenty of laughter and cheers as he sat down, grinning. He looked like he would be welcome any time at Uncle George's house, Albus thought. Or Weasley Wizard Wheezes, for that matter. By far, that was Albus' favourite shop in Diagon Alley beside Ollivanders wand shop. Although Mr Ollivander had died two months after the Battle of Hogwarts, due to the injuries sustained at Malfoy Manor, the man who ran it had been a great admirer of him and had kept the name as a memory. "The sub-sections meet in the four allocated rooms on the second floor, marked by the nameplates. If the new head of sub-secs would like to lead their groups to the rooms, then we will begin. They can last no longer than the time between now and dinner. Today will be introductory sessions only. Thank you ladies and gentlemen."

With that, the chatter rose and Albus hurriedly followed Victoire who was already heading up the staircase. He hadn't gone past the first floor and was intrigued as the stairs climbed steeper. Eventually they came to the second floor and Victoire turned left and opened the first door on the right that was marked: Dumbledore sub-section room. Albus went into the room and gasped. It was decorated highly with the Gryffindor colours and the room was a round room with stonewalls and lots of armchairs dotted around a fireplace. There was a mini-platform and Victoire headed towards there as everyone settled down. Albus spotted the other first year Gryffindors and went over to join them. He smiled kindly and they grimaced back. When the chatter had settled down, Victoire spoke again.

"Hey guys, glad to see you all again. First on the agenda, I would like to welcome the newest additions to Dumbledore!"

There was a smatter of applause and Albus saw the others and felt himself go red in the face.

"Would each of you like to say your name and a little about yourself?"

The other boy who Albus didn't recognise stood up nervously. There was a cheer as he fiddled nervously with the hem of his robes. "Hi, I'm Gregory James. I was born on 17th November 2005 and I have Muggle parents. I didn't know Hogwarts existed until Professor Longbottom came and visited me."

He sat down and there was another polite round of applause. One of the girls stood up, slightly more confidently. "I'm Elizabeth Finnegan. I think I'm the youngest in the year as my birthday is 31st August 2006. I was sent my letter in early July. My father is Seamus Finnegan who was most well known for being responsible along with Professor Longbottom, for the blowing up of the covered bridge at the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998." There was another round of applause. Albus made to get up but the other girl got there first.

"Hi, I'm Isabelle Osseo and I'm also a Muggle born. At least I think I am, because my mother died when I was just one and my father is a Muggle. He never told me much about her."

She sat down and Albus got up, almost eagerly to make it look like he hadn't chickened out until last. "Hi, I'm Albus Potter but everyone calls me Al. My full name is the name of two of Hogwarts headmasters, Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. My parents are Harry Potter and Ginny Potter and Victoire is my eldest cousin."

Embarrassed by his amount of connections and introduction, he sat down. There was a general loud round of applause as Victoire stood up again. "Thank you, you four. It is great to have you with us. We are a fairly small group of 30 and the number of students in the sub-secs varies every year due to the amount of students sorted into the houses. Moving on to general points, as we have our new Gryffindor Quidditch captain in our group," there was a loud round of as Wood stood up and waved, "Wood will be able to tell us when the Quidditch practises will be taking place. We will try to meet at least once a week. For the past two years that these have been in place, we have tried and failed often to communicate between the members of the sub-sec as to the timing of the meetings and the days. I am glad to say that we have found a way."

There was a loud cheer. Victoire went red. "Thanks you guys but I didn't really think of it. I apologise for the mini history lesson. When Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger originally formed Dumbledore's Army in 1995, they experienced the same problem as we have. Hermione was responsible for coming up with the solution, which we will use. The so-called Death Eaters, or followers of Voldemort as they were known, used marks branded into their skin to communicate with each other. Hermione developed this and, through fake Galleon's and the Protean charm, learnt at NEWT level, created an effective way so that all the members of the DA could know when the next meeting would be held. Thanks to the assistance and guidance of Professor Thomas, each member of Gryffindor house, all four sub-secs will be receiving a fake item which will represent their sub-sec. for us members of Dumbledore, it is a miniature version of a phoenix, which was Professor Dumbledore's patronus and pet." Victoire turned to Albus. "Al, would you like to explain how they work?"

"Me?" Albus' eyes widened.

"You know how to work them just as well. We can't have me talking all the time. Come up here."

There was a polite round of applause and a few laughs as Albus shakily got up and went to the platform, where he sat down next to Victoire on the edge. "For you who don't know, the reason I know this is because we have an inter-family Protean charm which is similar to this. However we use the old DA coins that were in use 22 years ago. Believe it or not, they still work."

"Show us how to work the statues Al. it works the same way." Victoire chided as she handed him a small statue of an erect eagle on a base, the same size as his Galleon. Albus nodded.

"To send a message, you have to press your thumb to the base of the phoenix at any point on it and there should be a tiny screen that appears. This will be a keyboard which you can then type your message. When you have typed your message, you press done and it should come up with the names of all the members of Dumbledore." Albus showed the breathless group. He looked at Victoire uncertainly at his last statement who nodded. "You then choose, who you send it to, or you can press 'all'. There is a small button that says 'send' and when the appropriate contacts have been selected, you can send it. When you receive a message from someone, the statue will heat up slightly. This used to be a buzzing sound but the Professors cannot detect when a statue has heated up as it makes no sound at all."

"Thanks Albus, that is very informative." Victoire said as the group clapped and Albus returned to his seat. "This is all true. The messages are sent instantaneously and received within 10 seconds of the message being sent. I will be able to contact of you with perfect ease."

"Next thing on the agenda," Victoire changed the subject, "is how Dumbledore operates and what we can do for each other. As head of sub-sec, I am aiming to continue the work that Lupin started last year when he was head boy. There will always be someone to help in the older years with homework and personal issues. We are a tight knit community here and we like to ensure that each member feels comfortable in this surrounding." Victoire was predominantly speaking to the first years but she looked everyone in the eye. "I am continuing the zero tolerance on bullying the Slytherins or any other less fortunate students. I am using Scorpius Malfoy as an example here. Being placed into Gryffindor when he comes from a Slytherin family is hard enough as we cannot imagine his family's response. Let us not make examples of ourselves by disrespecting Dumbledore's name and reputation. We must not tease or bully him for his placing, as that would be questioning the unwavering authority of the Sorting Hat and therefore Godric Gryffindor, our house founder. Other students from other sub-secs are entitled to our help and any emergencies that you may be having, may be brought to emergency meetings that can take place all over the school. On other worldly matters, if any of you have been hearing of the recent string of murders, do not fear. Hogwarts and Gringotts are two of the safest places in the wizarding world and virtually nothing can get in here. Professor Scamander keeps Dougal and I fully up to date so that we can tell you all what we know. All that I can say is that we are safe and nothing will harm you this year."

Victoire checked her watch. "We have few precious minutes left." she turned to the girl on her left. "Parker, would you hand out the phoenix's?" the girl nodded, got up and went to a box beside the platform. Inside were the tiny statues and she handed them out to each student as Victoire continued. "Do make yourselves known to our new members. We are family here and we should know each other by name at the very least. Don't just rely on your friends and older years for help, younger years can be helpful and blunt when it comes to assistance." She said the last sentence with a twinkle in her eye and there were a few giggles from around the room. "Thank you all for your time." Albus saw Victoire catch Wood's eye and he nodded. "Ah yes, don't forget that Quidditch trials are in two weeks time. Give in your names to Professor Thomas, or our prefects. Thank you."

With that, the group disbanded and Albus, having received his phoenix, left behind Isabelle Osseo. The other groups hadn't come out yet and Albus stayed behind in the common room until Rose and Harry came down from their Potter sub-section meeting. He saw Scorpius before them and stopped him.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Scorpius nodded. "Much better thanks."

"How was the meeting?"

"Okay, nothing that special. Did you get the communicator thing?"

"Yeah." Albus produced his. "It's a phoenix as Dumbledore's patronus was a phoenix and he had a pet one."

Scorpius brought out his. It was a statue of a weasel on a base like Albus' phoenix. "Orson said that the reason it was a weasel because the patronus of Arthur Weasley, the dad, is a weasel and it is the animal that the surname of the family derives from."

"That's cool. Hey, do you want to wait with me for Rose and Harry before we go down to dinner?"

Scorpius nodded. "Yeah, thanks. I need to start on my homework as well. How much longer have we got until dinner?"

Albus checked his watch. "Ten minutes. Not enough time to even get started."

Before either of them could say anything else, Rose and Harry came down with the next sub-section. Waving madly to them, Albus and Scorpius showed them where they were. They made their way over and stood there grinning. Rose spotted the phoenix in Albus' hand.

"Hey, you got one too!"

She produced a statue of a cloak that Albus recognised had the markings of his father's invisibility cloak. "It's a model of your father's invisibility cloak."

Albus grinned. "I can see that. I would recognise it from a mile away. Shall we?"

He indicated the portrait hole and they climbed out and went down to dinner. Albus tucked the phoenix into the top pocket where his fake Galleon lay. As he went down the stairs he had an idea. If he could communicate amongst the family, why shouldn't he try and see if there was any other DA coins that could be still in use? On his way down, he felt his top pocket get hot. He took out his coin and it was a message from Victoire: thanks Al for the help. You're much better at explaining things than I will ever be. Dad says he'll send your presents with Tonks when you next send her home, V. smiling and wondering what Uncle Bill would send them next, Albus tucked it back into his pocket. Working for Gringotts allowed Bill to travel the world and he always brought back strange and interesting objects for his family.

As the meal finished, Albus excused himself to Scorpius. "Hey Scorpius, I gotta go. I need to send an owl to my dad. You can start on the homework, and I'll catch up later. I'll be ten to fifteen minutes and that's it. See you soon?"

Scorpius nodded. "Yeah sure."

Albus got up, taking a piece of cake from the platters of puddings available and left the Great Hall. Dashing up to the dormitory, he grabbed a piece of paper and started to write. When he was finished, he raced down the stairs. Looking around, he collected his bearings and tried to remember which way the owlery was. Unfortunately he was completely lost. Spying a Gryffindor in the corner of the Clock tower Courtyard, he raced over.

"Excuse me, could you tell me the way to the Owlery?"

The boy turned around. "Of course." He looked Albus up and down. "You're Albus Potter aren't you?" Albus nodded. "I'm Scott Yates, I'm in Dumbledore too."

Albus took his proffered hand. "Pleasure to meet you Scott. Where do I head from here?"

Yates pointed towards a small opening in the side of the courtyard. "You see there?" Albus nodded. "Go through there and follow the path. Go past the pig gargoyles and up the winding path and steps. At the top of the path is the owlery. You should be able to see it from the gargoyles. It's only a five or so minute walk from here."

Albus nodded. "Thanks Yates."

The tall third year nodded and turned back to his friends, who had just arrived. Repeating the instructions to himself underneath his breath, Albus went through the opening that Yates had showed him and started to climb down the steps. When he reached the owlery, a good ten minutes later and out of breath, Albus started to search for Tonks. She wasn't far away and he quickly attached the letter to her leg.

"Fly home Tonks, fly home."

Taking her over to the nearest window, he released her into the air and she flew off in the direction of home. With a small pang of homesickness, he turned his back on the window and started to make his way back to the castle.


	5. Tonks

****A/N: I do not own any of the characters except for: all the first years bar Rose, Albus and Scorpius; Edward Wood, Holly Willow, Darren Sloper, Connor Jordan and any characters that you do not recognise. If you are not sure, then message me or leave me a review :)****

**C****hapter 5**

It was eight o'clock in the morning, when Lily felt a sharp tap on her window. She was known in her family for being a late riser. She rubbed her eyes furiously, her hand coming in contact with the one long scar that ran down her face. Ever since she was seven, she had been disappearing at a full moon. Aged seven, Lily had been atttacked by a werewolf, yet to be identified. She never admitted it, but she hated it. No one could in her family could understand what she went through every full moon, the Wolfsbane taking effect but still terribly dangerous. She didn't feel human. What was worse was that the scar would never fade and people kept thinking it was an accident she had had. It was an accident to a degree, she hadn't meant to get attacked, but that wasn't what people meant. The only person who could even nearly know what she was going through, was Uncle Bill. He too had been attacked by a werewolf, but it wasn't a full moon when Fenrir had launched his offensive. He semi-transformed into a werewolf, at least he knew what he was doing and who he was when he transformed. Lily lost all sense of humanity and self-worth when she went down to the end of the garden and to the Whomping Willow that her father had planted two years earlier. Only he could stop the tree from shaking and she felt secure in that tunnel. The transformation itself was the worst part. She would suddenly feel hot and cold all over all at the same time. Her body would start to shake and she would have to make sure that she was wearing the right clothes, specifically bought for her transformation. As she started to transform, she felt as if she was being torn apart from the inside. Her heart would almost freeze up and her breathing would become wet and foggy. Then she would lose all memory of what she did until she was transforming again. Changing back was just as bad. She would start to lose the fur and become unbearably cold. She could feel herself almost fold into herself. It felt as if she was going to implode at any moment. Her breathing would constrict and several times, her father would have to revive her as she would faint and her heart would sometimes stop breathing. That was the trouble with having a recurring heart problem on top of being a werewolf. Life just wasn't fair, her brothers often complained but she knew best of all.

It was just light enough to see through her curtains, the familiar shape of Tonks on the other side of her window. Jumping out of bed with happiness, she rushed to her window, flung open the curtains and window and let Tonks fly in. She was weary and Lily took her on her arm and raced down to the kitchen, where Tonks gladly stepped onto the counter as Lily got her a plate of water. As she turned around, she noticed the piece of parchment, tied to her leg.

"Tonks, have you got something from Al?"

Although she knew Tonks wouldn't reply to her, Lily took the letter from Tonks' leg which was held out for her. Letting Tonks drink from the glass of water Lily always had beside her bed, she opened the piece of parchment as she raced up to her parent's room. There were sounds of stretching and yawns coming from inside, so she knew her parents would be awake. Quietly tapping on the door and a murmur for an answer, she entered the room. It was a beautiful room with a huge bay window and thick gold curtains that were still closed. She went across and opened them, letting the golden September sun fall across the bed where her parents lay.

"There's a letter from Albus!" she cried, not able to contain her excitement any longer. THAT woke her parents up. Her father sat up and stared at her.

"Good morning to you too, young lady." He smiled.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Morning daddy."

"Did you say something about Al?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah, Tonks rapped on my window about five minutes ago. She had this letter attached to her leg."

Her father smiled. "Good. Get dressed and go downstairs to put Tonks where we put Colin last year when he came down from Hogwarts. We can read the letter together when all of us are looking a little more decent."

"Okay, see you in five minutes."

"Go on then."

Lily left the room and sped over to her bedroom. Looking briefly out the window at the usual grey sky that hung over London, she quickly put on some clothes that were scattered all over her, as normal, messy bedroom floor and went downstairs. Tonks had finished her water and was looking at her dolefully. Rolling her eyes, Lily put more water in the bowl and clicked for Tonks to come over.

"Come here Tonks."

Obediently, Tonks flew over to Lily's arm and, Tonks on one arm and the water in the other, Lily went down to the other end of the room where an empty birdcage stood open and receiving. She put the water in the pushed Tonks into the cage where she shut, but not locked, her in. Lily poured herself a glass of orange juice, put the toaster on and sat down. She stared wistfully at her father's holly and phoenix feather wand. After 26 years of use, it was still going strong. Albus and James had their own one's and Lily was just the last one left. She hadn't even been allowed to handle the wands. It felt annoying being the youngest, the one left out and the last to go to Hogwarts. Even Hugo was older than her by three weeks. She was decidedly the youngest in the Potter and Weasley family, it was depressing. Before she could let herself feel even worse, her parents appeared at the door.

"Let's see this letter then Lily."

She jumped, awakened from her dismal mood and hurriedly stood up with the letter in her head. Not wanting to look at her parents, Lily put the letter on table and hurried around to the toaster where her breakfast awaited her. The sound of ripping paper, told her that the letter had been opened. Quickly buttering her toast, she returned to the table as her father began to read:

" 'Dear Mum, Dad and Lily. I can't believe that I have had to wait 11 years to come here, Hogwarts is simply magical (no pun intended)! I don't know if the house letters have been sent out, but I thought I should tell you myself in writing that I have been placed in Gryffindor! Rose is here also and we are settling in well. Thanks to Aunt Hermione's clever DA coin trick, we can now communicate between the sub-secs that James described last year. Rose is in Potter with Fred and I am in Dumbledore with Victoire and the new Gryffindor Quidditch captain Edward Wood. Yes dad, the son of Oliver who apparently sends his regards.

So many of your school friends now teach at Hogwarts. Professor Dean Thomas teaches us Astronomy and he is also our head of house. Professor Longbottom sends his best and hopes to come and visit soon. I don't want to do a list of all my teaches, but the following say hi: Professors Flitwick, MacMillan, McLaggen, Scamander, Hagrid and Chang."

Harry passed the letter onto Ginny, who continued the letter. "I now write for your advice and to ask a few questions. My first is quite trivial: do you have any spare DA coins? Already, us four boys in our dormitory have grown quite close. It would be a pain to go looking for them all over the castle if we needed them and I was wondering if there were 3 more that I could give to them. The second is also quite trivial. Would you mind sending Tonks onto Uncle Bill? Apparently he has presents for us from his latest trip and he forgot to give them to Victoire and Dominique before they left. Ask him to send her back 'home' and she'll come back to you. When she has your reply and the presents, tell her to 'go back to Albus'. She should fly to Hogwarts and back to me. Please rest her for a day.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, there is a boy you have to meet who is in my dormitory. His name is Harry Lupin! Can you believe it?'"

There was a silence in the kitchen as Ginny looked at Harry who was both shocked and surprised. Lily was grinning. "How are they related? They have to be related!"

"Go on dear. It would be very interesting to hear."

"'He says that Remus was the first wizard in the family. Both Harry's and Remus' father's were brothers. Apparently he was named after you. His mother was a witch. He's also a metamorphmagus like Teddy! You would love him; he has Teddy written all over him. Can I invite him for Christmas? I'm sure his father wouldn't mind.

My final asking is for some serious advice. As you know, Scorpius Malfoy started Hogwarts this year. Due to the disgrace of his family name, he has already run into trouble with a few older members of the school. To further his shame and embarrassment, the sorting hat has placed him in Gryffindor and he is residing in a dormitory with me and two other boys. I asked Professor Scamander not to send his house letter and she agreed but he's going to find out one day. Scorpius is terrified of what his parents may say when they find out. On top of everything, his grandfather Lucius sent him a letter saying he hoped that Scorpius was settling well into Slytherin. None of us know what to do; even Dominique is at a loss. Can you help us? He is a kind boy and we are pretty close, due to the support of my family at Hogwarts when he has been bullied. I am really worried for him. Please help us.

I eagerly await your reply. I spoke to Professor McLaggen and he's coming to the flying lessons. Only the best will get to try out for the Quidditch team. Do you honestly think I have a chance? Scorpius says he wants to make it into the Hogwarts history books by being the first Malfoy to wear Gryffindor Quidditch robes. James says hi and could he have some more of Lily's homemade cupcakes. They went down a storm in sub-section meeting. I would love some too if Tonks can carry them. If not, surely there is a charm to make them light? Lots of love, your Al.'"

There the letter finished. Lily slipped off the bench and put her plate in the sink. She then went to the shelf where the cookery books were kept. Harry and Ginny were still frozen to the spot. Opening a book she had collected, Lily put a bookmark into the page. The silence was only broken by Tonks rattling on the bars of the cage. Lily looked at her parents unsure. She hadn't experienced them like this and was completely confused.

"Should, should I let Tonks out of her cage?"

Shocked that Lily was there, Ginny started. "Yes, yes, that's a good idea Lily dearest. Go and do that."

Lily left the room. Harry also unfroze. "Should I –?"

"Yes, I think you would do it best."

Gently taking the letter from Ginny's hands, Harry ran his free hand through his tousled hair and left the room. Regaining her composure, Ginny pointed her wand at the dirty dishes that lay there and she began to cook breakfast, as the dishes became clean once more.

**A/N: the chapters are going to flip between Harry, Ginny and Lily back to Albus, Rose and co. What do you think?**


	6. Advice and Wronski Feints

"'Al, thank you for telling us about young Malfoy. What I would recommend to him is this: his father may be less displeased than you think. His mother was a Ravenclaw so there was nothing to say he would definitely be in Slytherin. Young Malfoy should be reminded that the sorting hat is experienced and knows precisely what it is doing. He should be proud to be a Gryffindor and not be afraid of the consequences. He has been placed there for a reason, even if we don't quite know what that reason is yet. As for Draco and Astoria's reactions, I cannot say. He isn't as bad as he appears and can be soft inside. The same may not be said for Lucius. Try and conceal the fact from him as long as possible. I cannot suggest anything further. I am meeting with Draco tomorrow and will see what kind of attitude he may have.

As for the DA coins, your Aunt and I managed to produce some more. The old coins we managed to salvage, no longer function properly so we changed them. Just in case, Hermione has also sent some coins for the members of Rose's dormitory. We would be delighted to have Harry for Christmas if his father permits it. As for Quidditch, I have full confidence in you. Is Rose planning on as well? Keep strong my boy and pass on the cupcakes and presents to James. Lily sends lots of love and wishes whole-heartedly that she was there. Harry.'"

Albus looked up from the piece of parchment in his hand. It was four days after the letter had been sent. Just in time too, Albus thought. His first Quidditch lesson, with the Ravenclaws, was that afternoon. Giving the parchment to Scorpius to look over again, Albus fed Tonks a bit of cereal and then she flew off. Moving his bacon sandwich out the way, Albus surveyed the presents that Tonks had brought. There were two sets of 24 cupcakes as well as 4 small parcels with labels attached. Not seeing James close by, he quickly sent him a message. Soon, James came over to where they were.

"Ah finally, Tonks is back with the presents. Are there cupcakes?"

Albus held up one of the sets of cupcakes. "Here's one set. There's one each for us. Lily has put extra icing on them as she was so pleased you liked them. There is one parcel for you from Uncle Bill as well." He held them to James. "Take it, I need to get on."

"Alright then."

James took them and left the place where Albus, Harry, Scorpius, Theodore, Rose and Elizabeth Finnegan were sitting together. Breakfast was a much better affair after the letter. Talk of Quidditch was predominant as it was the lesson to happen after lunch. Collecting his belongings, Albus, now full and content, climbed the staircases to Gryffindor tower. Depositing his belongings on his bed and collecting his Herbology books and homework for the first double lesson of the day, he raced back out of the tower and down to the greenhouses. Theodore turned to Albus as they walked down.

"What did your dad mean by the DA coins for your dormitory? What's the DA?"

Albus nodded. "Sorry Harrison, of course. I forgot you didn't know. The DA was formed in 1995 by Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione Weasley. It stood for Dumbledore's Army and they were formed to fight the evil teachers that taught in Hogwarts as well as preparing them for a fight against Lord Voldemort. They communicated in the same way that the sub-sections are now communicating this year. My father managed to salvage some old coins and updated them so that the Weasley's and Potter's at Hogwarts could communicate with each other. I asked my father if he could find any more so that we can communicate between the four of us if we are separate and in trouble. It goes slightly hot, like the sub-secs, when you've got a message." Albus dug in his pocket to get the coins he had placed in there. "Take yours, well just one anyway. There's one for you, me and the other two. I'll find a way to give it to them in Herbology without Professor Longbottom seeing."

Theodore took it. "Where should I put it?"

"Where did you put your communicator statue?"

"In my top pocket."

"That's where I've put mine. Put it in there. Oh and you can also communicate with James Potter, Victoire, Dominique and Fred Weasley with the coins as well. It can come in handy to have an older member from the school to assist you, trust me."

Theodore laughed and put it in his top pocket. They reached the greenhouses as Professor Longbottom came out and ushered them all inside. The greenhouse was stuffy and far too hot, for the already unusually warm September day. Taking off his cloak and putting it on one of the chairs that stood at the side of the greenhouse, Albus took Theodore's homework and went up to give Professor Longbottom their homework. Three pieces of parchment on the different plants found at Hogwarts was two parchments more than he had asked, but Albus had large handwriting and it probably amounted to the same, when compared with everyone else's homework. Placing it on his desk, Albus went back to his desk.

The rest of the lesson and up to lunch was all a blur. The only thing that Albus could think about was the Quidditch lesson that afternoon. Lunch was where the nerves started to kick in. it was the only subject of talk amongst the first-year Gryffindors. Even Rose, who was normally trying to finish the last piece of homework, was joining with her knowledge of the different brooms. Albus tried to ignore the conversation but was soon drawn in. Quidditch had been a major part of his life up to now. He knew all the rules and way to commit fouls. He knew how to perfect a Wronski Feint on Harry's Firebolt and how to avoid Muggles when flying.

"So Albus, how good are you?" Gregory James, Albus' fellow Dumbledore boy turned to him.

Albus shrugged nonchalantly. "Alright I guess. My parents have taught me how to fly, but not that much more. I'll have to wait and see."

By the end of lunch, Albus hadn't eaten very much. Noticing his almost full plate, Rose took some toast that was lying on the table and snuck it under her cloak. She caught up with Albus as they made their way down the lawn towards the Quidditch pitch.

"Hey Al, you didn't have anything at lunch."

"I wasn't hungry."

Rose looked at him, disbelievingly. "Al, you're always hungry. Your nervous aren't you?"

Albus sighed. "I'm terrified. James is almost on the team for sure. I have parents that are famous for their Quidditch, as well as Auror skills. Everyone is going to assume that I'm amazing too. I'm fairly good but I'm not like mum or dad. I don't want that pressure."

Rose grimaced. "Al, like me, you're not going to be able to escape the fact that your parents are two of the most famous people of this generation. All you have to do is be the best that you can be and don't pretend any different. Be proud of your heritage and use the skills that your parents have passed onto you."

"But what if –?"

"Then just do your best, that is all anyone is asking of you." Rose smiled. "Let's just hope that you get a Firebolt. Then you can show Wood and everyone else your perfection of the Wronski Feint."

Albus laughed. "Yeah, let's hope so."

They had reached the Quidditch pitch. The stands loomed up in front of them, coloured in the Hogwarts house colours. Going through the side door, the small group of Gryffindors turned right and made their way down a tunnel that was decked in Gryffindor colours. At the end of the tunnel, however, the group was met with a dead end. Albus groaned but Rose stared at the floor, her face in a concentrated expression.

"We must have taken a wrong turning." Theodore said.

Albus shook his head. "James said it was this way. He wouldn't deliberately make me late for class. He's not that type. Anyway, we're surrounded by Gryffindor colours, we have to be close."

"He's right Theodore. This is the way." Rose said solidly.

"How do we get out?" Albus inquired.

Rose nodded to herself then pulled her wand from inside her cloak. "Stand back. This could go horribly wrong."

Albus looked at Rose sharply. "What are you about to do?"

"Its not a wall, it's a shutter, it folds up at the top. You can feel the breeze coming thorough the bottom. I'm going to try a spell that mum taught me, Wingardium Leviosa. As soon as this goes up, you guys run out onto the pitch. I'm going to inch forward and then release the spell. Hopefully I'll be able to make it out onto the pitch in time." She looked slightly shaken.

"No. I'm not letting you." Albus said firmly and the others nodded their heads in agreement. "I'm not going to let you risk your life for a class. We're not worth it and neither is the flying lesson."

"But it's the only way."

"It isn't. We can go to the stands and shout to Professor McLaggen to ask to open the shutter."

Before Rose could argue further, the shutter opened and light flooded in. Relieved, they made their way onto the pitch. The Ravenclaws too, were making their way from the opposite side of the pitch. Professor McLaggen was standing in the middle of the pitch accompanied by Edward Wood and a slightly older girl who, Albus presumed, was the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain. Not many Ravenclaws had opted for the lessons; there were only 6 in comparison to the 10 Gryffindors. As they reached the trio and the brooms that lay on the ground, Professor McLaggen began to speak.

"Welcome all of you to your first flying lesson. It is good to see such a decent turnout. As you know, these aren't compulsory and they only run for a few weeks. You may drop out or invite your friends to join us. May I introduce my two companions and myself? My name is Professor McLaggen, former Gryffindor keeper in my final years. May I also introduce Edward Wood," Wood smiled and raised his hand in acknowledgement, "and Stephanie Boot who are the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Quidditch captains respectively." There was a polite round of applause form the first years. "These two will be watching you fly over this lesson and the next. The best of you will be invited to try out for the house teams in two weeks time."

There was a buzz of noise. Albus already knew this but it was exciting to hear it said properly. Finished with his introductory speech, Professor McLaggen showed the first years how to mount their brooms properly and to kick off from the ground. Within half an hour, they were all up in the air. Albus, to his delight, had been given a Firebolt. It felt comfortable and natural beneath his fingers and he was already looking at the height and angles for a Wronski Feint. Professor McLaggen called them over.

"We're going to be practising with the Quaffle, which is the largest ball used in Quidditch. However I need to go and collect it. Get used to the broom s and don't try anything stupid. Wood and Boot, I'm leaving you to keep an eye on them."

The two older students nodded and he sped off on his broom towards the castle. A few students started to move around on their brooms and soon Albus was racing Scorpius up and down the pitch. He was a good flyer and quick on his turns, Albus noted. Rose and Theodore, on the other hand, were clearly not natural fliers. They were awkward in their positioning and slow on the brooms. The Ravenclaws weren't bad either. One girl was clearly comfortable on her broom. She joined in the racing and was pretty near on Albus as they came to a halt when Professor McLaggen came into sight. They shook hands warmly.

"You're pretty confident on your broom –" she trailed off uncertain.

"Oh, Potter. Albus Potter."

"Potter. I'm Clara Davies. My dad plays for the Wasps."

Albus nodded in recognition of the name. Roger Davies played chaser for the Wimbourne Wasps and was known for his speed and confidence on a broom. Before any other words could be exchanged, Professor McLaggen waved them all over.

"Thank you for your patience in waiting. Let's start with Quidditch basics."

Professor McLaggen then went on to describe how Quidditch is played, the various members of a team and how they fit together. When he had finished, they began with basic throwing and catching skills. Albus was fairly co-ordinated on the ground but in the air it was a slightly different story. He soon found that trying to keep your eye on the ball as well as balancing on your broom was fairly tricky. It was clear something was going to go wrong and sure enough it did. About half way through the exercise, Harry passed the Quaffle to a Ravenclaw boy across the circle they had formed. It sailed right through his open arms and passed him. They all watched as the Quaffle started to fall. Knowing he had to act quickly before it would go wrong, Albus turned his broom around and plummeted on the broom at a minute angle. He calculated quickly where the Quaffle was most likely to hit the ground and headed towards it. Calculating again the angle of the ground (pretty flat) and where the Quaffle was, Albus sped up. There were cries of "what on earth are you doing Potter?" "He's going to crash!" "Look out Al!" and various other shocked cries, Albus steadily ignored them. He was prepared for this and had been for months. His eyes stuck on the end of his broom handle, he neared the ground ever faster. Albus counted to five and then pulled. He released one hand off his broom and as he pulled out of the dive and up, he caught the Quaffle in his hand and tucked it under his arm. Amid cheers and whoops, he climbed up to rejoin the group. He reached his original position and threw the Quaffle to Professor McLaggen who caught it surprised and slightly shocked. Albus grinned.

"Happy to help Professor."

He was stunned. "Th-thank you Potter. Was that –?"

"A Wronski Feint? Yeah. My dad taught me how to do it safely and properly after I saw someone pull it off at a Quidditch game."

Clearly wanting to change the subject to hide his surprise, Professor McLaggen changed the exercise. At the end of the class, an hour later, Professor McLaggen dismissed the class and the group happily made their way back to the castle. Albus was still the centre of attention but he didn't enjoy it. He wanted to talk with Rose but the gaggle of admirers was almost too much to bear. Making an excuse, he and Rose took a short cut to the Gryffindor tower. The conversation was about everything except Quidditch. Rose had figured out Albus' need for privacy and an intimate cousin-to-cousin conversation. With three pieces of homework, two due the following day, Albus needed to have a quiet evening. Up in his dormitory, he flung himself on his bed, grabbed his Transfiguration homework and a piece of parchment and began to write.


	7. The Lightening Bolt

******A/N: I do not own any of the characters except for: all the first years bar Rose, Albus and Scorpius; Edward Wood, Holly Willow, Darren Sloper, Connor Jordan and any characters that you do not recognise. If you are not sure, then message me or leave me a review :)****  
><strong>

**Chapter 7**

By the end of the next flying lesson the following Wednesday, it was clear who had the possibility of being asked to the trials. After a lot of persuasion from Albus, Harry and Scorpius, Rose and Theodore had unwillingly come to the second lesson. To her surprise, Rose rather enjoyed it. It was a tense lesson for some, she knew, with the Quidditch captains watching their every move. For her, it was a chance to get a lot more used to the broom she was riding. Thankfully, she had been given a Nimbus 2000, something that she knew she could fly. At least she was comfortable with it. Poor Theodore had never been on a broomstick and clearly didn't know very much about it, let alone how to ride it safely. Neither of her parents had been especially gifted on the broom and she much preferred both feet firmly on the ground and her nose in a good book. But she was willing to give it a go. Rather unnervingly, her broom was very sensitive and she would often find herself going much faster than she would have liked to. Then, in a blinding panic, she would almost crash and just be able to remember how to brake. At least you remember how to brake, Rose would often think to herself as some person would rush over, brake perfectly and check she was okay. Albus knew what it was that meant Rose couldn't ride a broom well, it was nerves. Riding a broom wasn't something you could learn by reading a text book or looking up in the library, it was a technique, an art. She was much more of an academic person than an artistic person.

By the end of the lesson, Rose and Theodore had both managed to fly a little with only one hand of the broom. She was proud of herself as this was a lot more than many others had achieved. This lesson had combined all four houses and in total there were 30 of them. All the Gryffindors had returned to the second lesson and this grew the competition between the Gryffindor students as only ½ to 1/3 of the students would be chosen. With ten minutes until the end of the lesson, Professor McLaggen brought them all to the ground. Rose gently glided until her feet touched the soft grass and then climbed off before making her broom stand upright beside her. She went to stand next to Elizabeth Finnegan and Albus, who was staring hard at Professor McLaggen, waiting inpatiently. It was easy to tell when her cousin was agitated. The frown lines on his forehead were clear and his breathing could be heard a mile away.

"Thank you, all of you, for your effort today. You have improved a lot since you first kicked off the ground and yet it is only the second lesson. I am releasing you all ten minutes early so that the Quidditch captains and myself can discuss which of you should and can be invited to the trials. You will all be contacted by tomorrow's post. Good day first years."

"Good afternoon Professor McLaggen." The first years chimed and the class was dismissed.

Rose was eager to make use of the extra time. Four extra copies of: The Rise, Fall and Aftermath of Voldemort, the book her parents had both helped compile, were being released in the library. The copies of the book at the start of the year had been quickly snapped up and Rose was eager to learn more about her parents' help and the losses that they sustained. It was clearly a sensitive topic as they didn't talk about it much if they could help it, but Rose wanted to know everything. She had a thirst for knowledge and had been delighted that her fellow dorm-mate, Lucy, shared this passion. Lucy wasn't much like her father. Sure she had inherited her father's passion for Herbology and talent, but she had inherited her mother (Hannah Abbot)'s Charm and Potions skils, something Rose knew Neville was abismal at. By now she was running up to the castle, her fiery red hair flying out behind her and Lucy was just behind her. They raced up to the second floor, hurtling along the empty corridors and finally came to a halt outside the library. They caught their breath and then pushed open the door to the library and made their way over to Madam Pince who smiled at them.

"Hello girls. Are you here of the extra copies?" the girls nodded eagerly and Madam Pince drew her wand. "Accio books!" two books whizzed from underneath the desk and into her arms. She handed them to the girls. "Let me take down your details and then you two can go." She took a piece of parchment from her desk and looked at Rose. "Name?"

"Rose Weasley."

"Age?"

"Eleven."

"Year?"

"First."

"House?"

"Gryffindor."

"Sub-section?"

"Potter."

"Book?"

"The Rise, fall and Aftermath of Lord Voldemort."

"Author?"

Rose looked at the cover. "A compilation by those who were there."

Madam Pince looked at her with a slightly look of exasperation. "Give me one of the names."

"Hermione Weasley and co."

"Right, that's you done. I'll copy out Miss Weasley's form for you Miss Longbottom."

"Thank you. But I'm in sub-section McGonagall and not Potter."

"Thank you Miss Longbottom. And tell your father that the new set of text books for the sixth year arrived this morning. He said he needed them for a lesson soon."

"Of course."

Lucy rolled her eyes and the girls made their way out of the library. As fast as they could manage, they made their way up to Gryffindor tower. The end-of-lessons bell had gone and students were coming out from all directions. Shoving past the growing number of Hogwarts students, Rose and Lucy fought their way to the tower. Once inside their dormitory, they sat down on Rose's bed and looked at the books. They were thick hard-backs with a red lightening bolt cutting the page in half. On one half was the Dark Mark seen in the summer of 1994, clearly in the sky. The other half held a picture of Hogwarts shortly after the great battle of 1998, in ruins. This was repeated on the back and the title was in white solely on the front cover. Eagerly Rose turned to chapter one: Where It All Started, and with the encouragement of Lucy, began to read aloud.

" 'At his height, only those who were truly unafraid of him, called him by his new-found-fashioned name, Lord Voldemort. Only the wizard who he was truly afraid of, Albus Dumbledore (d. 1997), could call him the name he had been given at birth, Tom Marvolo Riddle. From childhood, it was clear that Tom had extraordinary but dark magical gifts. According to memories shown to Harry Potter by Albus Dumbledore, Tom could manipulate children and animals into doing his bidding using non-verbal and wandless magic. The fore mentioned magic is, of course, common in wizarding children before the age of 11, but little to this extent and so frequently. He was also shown to have a darker side from this age, as he was found to use his magic to bully the children and steal from them. Visited by Albus Dumbledore in 1938, Riddle started at Hogwarts in September of that year. Noted generally as a quiet, talented and thoughtful student, Riddle was not noted as being suspicious. From the start, he began to quietly assemble his own circle of friends and admirers, who would later be better known as the Death Eaters.'"

Rose finished the paragraph there. "That's a horrible name to be given." Lucy thought out loud.

"Isn't it?" she looked at her watch. "We better get on with our homework, its only 45 minutes until food."

Their minds completely taken off Quidditch, the girls pulled their Charms theory homework towards them and started to write. They were soon reminded, however, the next morning by the arrival of post. Half way through breakfast, Wood came up to Rose and Lucy.

"Here you are girls, your results. As it were." He smiled.

Rose took hers gratefully and thanked Wood. She had forgotten about the results and ripped it open. She didn't really care what the result was and had a small suspicion what it was but it was worth reading it anyway if they had taken the time to write the letter. It was brief and straight to the point:

'Dear Miss Weasley.

Thank you for your co-operation over the past two weeks in the flying lessons. Unfortunately we do not feel that you are quite ready to be a part of the house teams. We do see a lot of potential in you and I hope that you will continue the lessons and that this letter does not dishearten you. I look forward to hopefully seeing you next week.

Professor McLaggen.'

Rose smiled. She knew that she was never going to get asked but it was nice of the Professor to write to her. Down the table, the rest of the Gryffindors were also receiving their letters. Albus ripped his open quickly as Harry, Scorpius, Theodore and the other members of the lessons opened theirs. His letter was also short:

'Dear Mr Potter,

Thank you for your co-operation over the past two weeks in the flying lessons. I am pleased to invite you to the Gryffindor Quidditch trials, taking place on Wednesday 20th September at 8pm. please collect the broom you have been using for the past lessons from the broom cupboard next to the staff room. I look forward to seeing you next lesson.

Professor McLaggen.'

Albus buried his head with embarrassment. Scorpius reached over and snatched his letter. "You got asked too!"

"You did?"

"Yeah! Harry too!" Scorpius could hardly contain his excitement.

"That's brilliant!" Albus turned to Theodore. "Did you –?"

"No." Theodore smiled. "I'm not a natural on the broom and I know it."

Albus pondered. "So who is the fourth person?"

There was a squeal from a few places down. "I did it!"

Elizabeth Finnegan was waving her piece of parchment in the air. So, Albus thought, there was the competition he had to face. Harry had very good reflexes and could avoid oncoming attackers with ease but was very clumsy at times. Scorpius was quick, agile and well co-ordinated; he was Albus' main rival. Elizabeth had broad shoulders and was stocky but she wasn't as fast as some of the others. He sent a message to his cousins on the Galleon: I've been asked to try out for Quidditch! So excited I can't wait! See you there James and Fred? Al.' Sending his message, he finished his breakfast hurriedly and set off to the Owlery. But he stopped himself suddenly. Shouldn't he just wait until he got onto the team? Or didn't? His parents would have a false sense of hope. He didn't want to give them that. Turning his back, he gripped his bag tightly and made his way to Defence Against the Dark Arts.

**A/N: the chapters are going to flip between Harry, Ginny and Lily back to Albus, Rose and co. What do you think?**


	8. Success Is About Speed

**Chapter 8**

For September, it was freezing on the evening of the tryouts. Despite Rose's bluebell flames warming their hands, Albus still couldn't find the feeling in his fingertips or his toes. His hair was flopping down over his eyes and his cloak was done right up to his chin. The group looked slightly pathetic, eight small figures, four holding broomsticks that were taller than them. Theodore, Rose, Lucy and Danielle Grogan, the other girl in Rose's dorm, had opted to come and watch the four new hopeful players tryout. Gryffindor scarves tightly wound around their throats and hats firmly on their heads, the four extra spectators mounted Harry, Albus, Scorpius and Elizabeth's brooms respectively and they kicked off from the ground. Albus had never had someone else on the broom and although Rose had her arms tightly around his waist, he worried that he extra weight might affect the broom's performance. Gaining height, they were soon level with one of the covered stands. Landing, the four spectators clambered off their brooms and found a safe and sheltered spot with a decent view. Spotting a group of students on the ground, Albus indicated them with his head and the quartet made their way to the floor of the pitch. As arranged beforehand, as the quartet landed, Wood drew his wand and pointed it at them.

"Although he was headmaster for less than a year," Wood began.

Wand drawn, Albus replied. "Severus Snape has a portrait hanging in the headmistress's office between Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall."

Slowly all five wands were lowered and stowed away in cloaks. "Who are your friends Potter?" Wood asked.

"That's Harrison, Weasley, Longbottom and Grogan. They're out other dorm-mates who wanted to come and watch. Grogan doesn't attend the lessons so you won't recognise her."

Wood smiled. "Good kids, coming out here in this weather. I've never seen it so bitter."

There were around 25 people there for the tryouts. Having decided beforehand, Albus knew that he was going for chaser and seeker. The first years were placed last in the order of tryouts. As the tryouts progressed, Albus realised how hard it actually was. James went for chaser again. As Albus watched him zoom around the pitch, he was very impressed by James' ability to throw the Quaffle through the smallest of gaps. Fred, like his father, went for beater. Like Albus and James, he had Quidditch parents, and it showed. His broad shoulders and muscular frame gave him power and strength when he hit the golf balls coming for him away, which he did with incredible ease.

Harry was the first of the quartet to trial. He was going only for beater. Given the club, Harry had to dodge oncoming players and hit away the golf balls that were bewitched to fly at him. Albus was worried. He seemed to be struggling with the golf balls and his flying was wonky. It wasn't normally how he flew in the lessons. Maybe it was nerves. When he came back down, after half-hearted cheers from the first-years, he was shaking his head.

"That was horrible. The balls really hurt and there were far too many of them."

Albus tried to cheer him up. "You didn't look too bad from down here. It was probably alright really." He wasn't even convinced by himself.

"Malfoy, you're up next." Wood called down.

Going white as a sheet, Scorpius climbed onto his broom. Albus patted him on the back. "Do your best. That is all you can do." He recalled the words that Rose had said before their first flying lesson.

Nodding, Scorpius kicked off and sped up to join Wood. He was also going for seeker and chaser. Given the Quaffle, Scorpius had to try and avoid obstacles and score as many goals past Wood as possible in five minutes. The record so far, set by James, was seventeen. Shakily, Scorpius flew to one end of the Quidditch pitch. Giant wooden boards moving at a fast pace were poised in the air. On the whistle, Scorpius tucked the Quaffle firmly under his arm and leaned forward, urging his broom on.

Five minutes and fifteen goals later, Scorpius braked on his broom for the last time. Lowering the boards to the ground with his wand, Wood then brought up the box which contained all the Quidditch balls and released the Golden Snitch. After ten seconds, the tryout seeker would have to find the Snitch. The record so far, set by a girl in the sixth year, was five minutes and thirty six seconds. Wood set the timer and Scorpius was off. From the stands, Rose was amazed that Scorpius could stay on his broom. The weather had brightened slightly but a cold wind had settled over Hogwarts. Rose had every faith in him. There was something about Scorpius that drew her to him but at the same time, repelled him. She knew what the repel was. He was one of Albus' close friends and her father had become immediately prejudiced against him. She remembered the words clearly: "don't get too friendly with him Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pure-blood." She wasn't thinking of marriage. She's only eleven! Focusing her eyes back on Scorpius, she saw him dive. He'd seen the Snitch! With shouts of encouragement ringing in his ears, Scorpius reached out a hand and grabbed the Snitch. Braking, he climbed off his broom and ran to Albus who had started towards him as soon as he had caught the Snitch. Hugging him tightly, Albus patted Scorpius on the back.

"That was brilliant!"

"Thanks." Scorpius grinned.

"What time did he get Wood?" Albus shouted up.

"Five minutes and forty seconds! Well done Malfoy!" Wood called back. "Finnegan, come up. Potter, I hope you don't mind being last."

Albus shook his head as Scorpius handed the Snitch to Elizabeth and she flew up. He did mind but he wasn't going to let that show. Rose watched eagerly from her seat. Elizabeth hadn't stopped talking about it since her letter last week. Rose couldn't deny it, Elizabeth was good, she just liked to vocalise it a lot. Her strong Irish accent didn't help either as sometimes she was almost incomprehensible which was particularly infuriating for her. Only going for beater, Elizabeth's trial was also over in five minutes but it was fairly good. From what she could see, Elizabeth had been stronger than Harry but still not as good as Fred. Rose cheered loudly with the rest as Elizabeth touched down and Albus kicked off from the ground.

Wood threw the Quaffle to Albus and he sped off to the opposite side of the pitch. He watched as the barriers reached their height and started to move at alarming rates. He could hardly hear the cheers of his fellow Gryffindors as he set off on the whistle. It was a lot harder than it looked. They were so fast that he was almost kicked off his broom several times. The cries of shock didn't help either in his concentration. By the end of his five minutes, Albus had only scored eight goals. Dejected, he watch Wood lower the boards and bring the box into the air. He came closer as Wood got out the Snitch.

"You're better than that Potter, I've seen you fly so much better. Don't feel down. Fly like the wind and catch that Snitch. Remember your Wronski Feint from the first lesson? Think of that." Wood said and gave Albus a wink

Despite his fingers being numb to the bone, Albus felt a new warmth and encouragement, he nodded. Wood released the Snitch and Albus watched as it darted off into the sky.

"And, GO!" Wood shouted as he started the timer and Albus sped off in the direction the Snitch had gone.

Losing sight of it pretty quickly, Albus then did a very quick circuit of the pitch to scan the area. Suddenly he spotted a glint of gold in the corner of the pitch. Going full speed, Albus stretched out a hand towards it. Sure enough, the Snitch was hovering momentarily on the stand near the spectators. But before Albus could get his fingers to it, it darted off to his right. Albus followed it with a sharp right turn and spotted out of the corner of his eye, then sped off towards it. But at around 100m in the air, the Snitch suddenly dived. Rolling his eyes, Albus tipped his broom forward and followed suit, preparing for a Wronski Feint. Except that this time, he had a greater chance of crashing, as he didn't know where the Snitch would pull up. The gap between Albus and the Snitch, and the Snitch and the ground was deteriorating faster and faster. Steadying himself, Albus gripped the broom tightly with his left hand and slowly reached out his right hand. The Snitch seemed to falter a metre above the ground and Albus snatched it and then pulled up shouting 'FINISHED!' in delight and becoming level with the ground. There was a silence as Wood flew down to the ground. Albus, who had been hugging Harry, was suddenly afraid. His jubilation with the others had been cut short.

"What's the matter Wood?" he asked.

Wood shook himself. "Nothing. Good effort Potter."

"What time did I get?"

Wood didn't reply. James was next to him and grabbed the stopwatch, then shouted with glee. "That's got to be a Hogwarts record!"

"What?" Albus was confused. Had he really been that slow?

"Three minutes and twenty four seconds, Al that's insane. Even dad couldn't have pulled it off."

The chatter that had arisen had fallen silent. The four first-year spectators had made their way down after Albus had finished and were walking quickly across the field. Seeing their stunned faces, Rose became worried.

"What's happened?"

Albus showed the stopwatch to Rose. "Look at that. That was my time."

Rose took it and looked at it. "Three minutes and twenty four seconds." There was a long pause.

"According to 'Hogwarts: Quidditch History', the fastest time for Snitch-catching is three minutes and 25 seconds. You've smashed the record!" Lucy exclaimed.

Albus turned to her. "Really? I have?"

"Don't reset it." Lucy said to Wood. "Professor Thomas should see this."

Wood nodded and turned to the other Gryffindor tryout people. "Thanks so much for coming this evening. You will be notified within the week. You can go now."

The group dispersed and Wood turned back to the first years. "We should go now. Come on."

Bidding farewell to James, Albus and the others braved winds, which were beginning to die down, and wound there way to the castle. It was getting dark and as they entered the castle, the warm glow and heat from the torch brackets immediately made them feel warmer and they began to feel their fingers start to defrost. Winding up the staircases, the group of nine made their way along the second floor, Harry and Theodore carrying the balls box between them. When they finally arrived at the broom cupboard, next to the staff room, Harry and Theodore put the box in the cupboard and the broomsticks zoomed back to their original places. Wood knocked on the staff room door and a tall man with a resemblance striking to a girl in Slytherin opened the door.

"What do you want?"

"Sorry to bother you Professor Zabini but I was wondering if Professor Thomas was in there?" Wood seemed hesitant and, if Albus wasn't mistaken, a bit scared.

Professor Zabini nodded and closed the door. Soon he returned with the Professor. "Don't you know that its almost curfew time?" Professor Thomas enquired.

"We have something to show you Professor. We had the Quidditch trials tonight and young Potter here was the last to try for seeker. Look at the timing sir, we think it is a Hogwarts record."

Wood held out the stopwatch. Professor Thomas looked at it and started. "That's incredible Potter."

"Thank you Professor."

"This must be changed in the books. It will only take a single spell but I will need a photo of you to have in the book. Have your broom and the stopwatch."

Albus looked embarrassed. "Okay sir."

"Wait here."

Professor Thomas disappeared inside. "You did it Al!" Scorpius exclaimed.

"I did! I don't think it's quite sunk in yet." Albus smiled.

The door opened and Professor Thomas brought out a camera. Wood had got Albus' Firebolt and handed it to him. Albus brought out the still-struggling Snitch and held it up. With the broom in one hand and the Snitch and stopwatch in the other, he looked like a Quidditch model. The photo was done and Albus handed the items back to Wood.

"I expect Professor Scamander will want to give you fifty points for that Potter, well done. The books will be changed in due time." Professor Thomas smiled.

Albus' smile broadened. "Thank you so much sir."

"Now get off to bed, all of you, before the curfew is imposed."

Murmuring 'good night Professor', the group proceeded to the seventh floor and went up to bed. Albus was shattered. It was all so sudden, a new record and fifty points for Gryffindor. Would Wood think that was too quick for a seeker? How long would it be until he found out the results? Falling asleep, Albus dreamed of him crashing in the ground and the Slytherins laughing and laughing until the noise was too loud to bear.


	9. Unexpected Arrivals

Work had been a lot more interesting since the murders started. Sitting at his desk, surrounded by piles upon piles of paper, Harry sighed. An inter-departmental memo flew into the room and went straight to Harry. Opening the message, he smiled. 'Need to see you urgently, Hermione.' Putting the message in the bin, Harry got up and made for the door.

"Where are going?" Ron's questioning voice broke the silence.

Harry sighed. "To Hermione. She wants to see me."

"Tell her I love her."

Harry sighed once more and left the office. Having his two best friends married was problematic enough, but Ron was still completely obsessed with Hermione and insisted on sending the little messages through Harry if he ever went to see her. Harry stopped outside a door that was marked: Hermione Weasley= Head of Magical Law Enforcement and Elf Rights Committee. He knocked three times on the door. Hearing a faint 'come in', Harry pushed open the door and stepped into the office. The walls were covered in two different types of paper. In front of Harry were newspaper article clippings that lapped over each other. These ranged from the re-opening of Hogwarts, to Elfish Welfare papers, to general business in the wizarding world. Harry knew that if he turned around, the wall would be filled with photographs. Hermione's desk was overflowing with bits of paper and huge piles of files and folders. They looked neat but needed lots of organisation. Even as Harry stood in the doorway awkwardly, Hermione was directing these with her wand into the numerous filing cabinets that lined the walls.

"Did you know that over six hundred house elves die in toilet-related incidents every year?" Hermione said absent-mindedly.

Harry was taken aback. "No I didn't."

"I'm going to talk to that new shop in Diagon Alley that specialises in non-humans supplies, to see if they can make toilet seats that are smaller. The poor things fall in and can't get out as the rim is too high." Hermione looked decisive but sounded vague and vacant.

"You sent a memo, saying you need me to see you."

Hermione came back down to earth. "Yes Harry, their are two, well three things. Luna has asked me to ask you to come and talk on the Dark Arts at some point this term."

Harry nodded. "Happy to."

"The second thing is that Ginny sent me a message asking if the three of us could have twentieth of November off."

"Did she say why?"

"You'll find out when you get home, I'm sure. I'll speak to Kingsley about it."

Harry nodded and then sighed as he remembered something as if he didn't want to remember it. "Ron told me to tell you that he loves you."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He can be a bit soppy at times."

"A lot of the time Hermione."

"Okay, a lot of the time. But he means well."

"Anything else? You did say it was urgent."

"Ah yes, there was something. Apparently there was something going on down in Spinner's End, East Sussex. Could you check it out? Or ask one of the juniors?"

"Sure." Harry paused. "Have you heard from Rose recently?"

"Gideon arrived yesterday. Why?"

"Well normally Al writes at least once a week and we haven't heard anything for a bit. Lily is eager to have an excuse to make more cupcakes."

Hermione laughed. "She's adorable. Tell Ron the usual answer. How much longer have you got until the end of your shift?"

Harry checked his watch. "Half an hour."

"Well survive until then and then go home to Ginny and Lily afterwards. Don't forget you're at ours this evening."

"Yes, thanks. I'll talk to Luna about the talk."

Harry left the office and went down the two flights of stairs to the Auror office. "So what did she want?" Ron asked.

"Luna wants me to give one of my lectures at some point this term and for some unknown reason, the three of us are getting 20th November off. Oh and something is going on in Spinner's End, East Sussex. I'm going to send young Bones down to check it out."

"Right. Anything else?"

Harry smiled. "She told me to tell you that you're an idiot."

"She's a sweetheart."

"And you're a nutcase."

"You hadn't noticed?" as Harry slumped back down, Ron stood up. "I wonder what is up at Spinner's End. I'll send Bones down now."

Ron left the office. Harry turned his computer screen on and checked his inbox. Jack Bones was certainly the right man for the job. A decade out of Hogwarts, Jack had only been working at the Ministry for a year or two but he had already proven unwavering loyalty on several occasions.

Half an hour later, the trio had managed to get 20th November off and Harry and Ron left and office to hand over to Ilahi Bamber and Christopher Abbot, who were working on the night shift. They reached the fires and departed without a word. Harry stepped into the fires and was soon safely on the cold flagstones of 12 Grimmauld Place's kitchen. Hearing the sound of bones and cloak on stone, there was soon a clatter of feet down the staircase and Lily flung herself into her father's arms. He picked her up and twirled her around as Ginny stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, her arms folded and a smile on her lips.

"So, how was work?"

"Alright I suppose. I'm giving a talk at Hogwarts and I have the 20th November off." He placed Lily back down and turned to Ginny. "So, what's the news?"

"Tonks arrived just after you left this morning." Lily said simply, her face betraying nothing.

Harry's face lit up. "And?"

"Read it yourself." Ginny held out a piece of paper and Harry took it eagerly. He ripped it open and began to read aloud.

"'Hey Dad, Mum and Lily!

Sorry I haven't written to you in such a long time. The last week has been so chaotic with homework, friends and stuff. I received every single one of your letters, in case you were worrying. The main news and probably the only, is Quidditch. Last week I was asked, to go to the Gryffindor house Quidditch trials! I expect it was partly due to the Wronski Feint I told you about in my first flying lesson. Harry, Scorpius and Seamus' daughter Elizabeth were also chosen from the Gryffindor first years. It was freezing weather and my fingers were practically numb to the bone. Rose, Theodore and the other girls in Rose's dorm came to cheer us on. James and Fred were trying out too and they were both superb! You would have been so proud of him mom. He scored 17 goals in 5 minutes! Harry and Elizabeth weren't very strong but Scorpius was brilliant in his chaser tryout scoring 15! His seeker skills weren't fantastic though. I was the last person in the tryouts. I'm sorry mum; I flopped on my chaser tryout. But then I also went for seeker. I don't know if they've changed the books yet. Check 'Hogwarts: Quidditch History' we do have a copy somewhere.

Harry stopped and looked at Ginny as Lily pressed a book into his hands. "It's on page 36 daddy. It has been changed."

Harry speedily turned to page 36. It was chapter 3: tryout methods. Scanning the page, he quickly found 'Snitch-catching' and read aloud: "the current record for Snitch-catching is held by Albus Potter aged 11 of Gryffindor house, who caught the Snitch in his tryout in 3 minutes 24 seconds." Harry looked up flabbergasted. "But that's insane." He looked at the photo. There was Albus in his Hogwarts robes holding a Firebolt in one hand, and the Snitch and a stopwatch in the other.

"Read the rest of the letter daddy. Lily chimed, taking the book from his hands.

Harry looked back at the parchment. "Cool huh? I think my hair is a bit too askew though and unruly. So the next day, Professor Scamander awarded me the 50 points to Gryffindor for breaking the recording and now we are in the lead above Ravenclaw by 34 points! Then the next day, the team list went up. This is the list:

Keeper: Edward Wood (captain)

Chasers: James Potter, Scorpius Malfoy, and Holly Willow

Beaters: Fred Weasley II (vice captain) and Darren Sloper

Seeker: Albus Potter

I'm the seeker for Gryffindor! I can't believe it! Our first match is against Slytherin on 20th November. I'm so nervous already. I hope you're proud of me. I aim to do my utmost best! What tips can you give me dad? Lily, I hope you'll make me some cupcakes, I really feel in the mood for some. Everyone loves them in Gryffindor house and can't wait until you send the next batch. I look forward to your reply. Victoire has been teaching Rose and I how to do the talking patronus thing. I'm yet tot produce a corporeal patronus, let alone make it talk. But Rose has almost managed to produce her patronus, we think it's a meerkat; it's hard to make out. Missing you loads and James says hi, Al."

There the letter ended. Harry was grinning all over. Lily was already planning the cakes and muttering under her breath. "We'll have to get him a broom." Harry said to Ginny. "If he's on the team."

"Of course." Ginny nodded. "I've heard that a Nimbus 5000 is due for release within the next few weeks. For the boys to have the same broom wouldn't be a lever idea. We gave James the latest model when he was put into the reserves last year, so it would only be fair on Al."

"I assume that is why we got 20th November off. Shall we tell him we're coming?"

"No, leave it as a surprise." Ginny turned to Lily. "I have an idea for the frosting, how about Snitches?"

"Oh yeah, Al would love that!"

Before she could rush off, there was a bang and the sound of the front door being thrown open. The howling wind from the thunderstorm outside came rushing in and a lightning bolt struck to reveal a person standing in the doorway. Harry and Ginny drew their wands and Lily screamed and ran behind Ginny.

"Who is it? Friend or foe?" harry shouted over the howling wind.

The door shut a lot more quietly. "Honestly Harry, who else has a key t the house?"

Lily came out from behind Ginny. "Teddy!"

She ran to go out of the kitchen but Harry held her back as he and Ginny made their way not the hallway. "Identify yourself properly."

Teddy sighed. "I am Teddy Remus Lupin, son of deceased Remus and Nymphadora Lupin and the godson of you, Harry James Potter. I am a metamorphmagus and was placed in Ravenclaw house and left as head boy of Hogwarts earlier this year. My patronus is a spaniel which you taught me to produce."

Harry smiled. "Something is going on in the world, Teddy. I had to make sure. Come on in."

The quartet came into the kitchen. Lily hadn't seen Teddy since he came here from his last year at Hogwarts in July but he hadn't changed that much. Teddy was slightly tall for his age (6 feet 4 inches) and was wearing jeans and his favourite t-shirt. Today his hair was dirty blonde and straight. He gave Lily and big hug and then greeted Ginny and Harry. They sat down as Harry put on the kettle. Teddy saw the letter on the table.

"Al settling into Hogwarts well then?"

"In Gryffindor, friends with a Malfoy and on the Quidditch team." Lily informed him.

Teddy put his hands up. "Whoa, wait. Quidditch team and Gryffindor I can understand. But friends with a Malfoy? What is he thinking?"

"Draco's son was placed in Gryffindor and is in Albus' dorm. Apparently he isn't that bad."

Teddy whistled. "Brave boy putting up with it."

"So what brings you here Teddy?" Lily asked.

"Aren't I allowed to visit my family without being questioned about it?" Teddy said teasingly. Lily started to protest but he smiled. "I'm kidding. I jut came to check in, see how you were and stuff."

"What are you doing on 20th November?" Harry asked.

Teddy looked confused. "Why?"

"Al, James and Fred are on the Gryffindor team and their first match against Slytherin is then. Luna is bound to let us come. Ginny, Ron, Hermione and I have all got the day off work. Do you think George will?"

"I bet he'll be there at the match, he can get another intern to cover."

Teddy as on an internship at Weasley Wizard Wheezes and had proven to be a valuable part of the team.

"Do you want to come over to Ron and Hermione's tonight? They'd love to have you I'm sure." Ginny asked as Harry brought over 3 cups of coffee.

"I, I would love to."

Harry drew his wand. "Expecto Patronum." He continued to point his wand at the silver stag that burst from the tip of his wand and raced to the nearest window. "Hey you three. We have had a surprise visit from Teddy, is there enough food for him too? Let us know soon, Harry."

He nodded to the stag, which jumped out the window. Teddy was trying to make his hair two different colours but so far was yet to succeed. As he sipped his coffee, another Patronus burst through the window. Harry, Ginny and Teddy drew their wands and pointed them at the now fully formed robin. It opened its mouth and began to speak urgently.

"Harry, we need you immediately. The Spinner's End is bigger than we thought. There's been another double murder, Eileen Prince and Tobias Snape. They're a witch and a Muggle. We need you and Ron there before the Muggle police arrive. Bring whoever is in the office if you're there."

The robin dissolved and Harry grabbed his coat as he hurriedly sent a second patronus to Ron. Harry turned to Teddy. "You fancy coming along? Seeing a bit of action?"

Teddy's face lit up. "Really? I would love you?"

"Well come on. We'll need to modify plenty of memories. Can you –?"

"First person in my class. Don't worry Harry!"

Harry became serious. "Do remember this is a double murder we are dealing with. We're meeting Ron there."

Giving his wife a fleeting kiss and his daughter a hug, Harry nodded to Teddy and they turned on the spot as the crushing darkness engulfed them.


	10. The Big Bang

******A/N: I do not own any of the characters except for: all the first years bar Rose, Albus and Scorpius; Edward Wood, Holly Willow, Darren Sloper, Connor Jordan and any characters that you do not recognise. If you are not sure, then message me or leave me a review :)******

**Chapter 10**

"'Speaking from the crime scene, Auror Harry Potter made this statement on the case: "like the previous murders, the murderer has left few marks on the victim and a note simply saying: You'll be next Mudbloods. I will find it, whatever it takes. It is unclear at the moment what this person's aim is, but is suspected to be linked to the mass murder of goblins at Gringotts Bank earlier this year. We are unsure what think link is but the Auror Office is doing its best to prevent further spilling of magical blood." More on the case is published on page 13.'"

Rose finished the article. It was a week after she had been sent and nine days after the Quidditch tryouts. Halfway through a piece of toast, Albus had been dropped a large and bulky package by Tonks and three other owls that had carried it from London. Inside the package, to Albus' delight, was a Nimbus 5000, more cupcakes and a letter with a newspaper article, many people were gathered around the table, admiring the broom and trying to sneak a bit of cupcake. Downing his last piece of toast, Albus grabbed his bag, present and all the wrappings, he made his way out of the Great Hall. As he left though, another boy blocked his path in his year. He had an unpleasant smirk on his face and was flanked by a boy and a girl with equally unpleasant facial expressions.

"Adams." Albus nodded curtly.

Hubert Adams, already known as the first-year bully and was in Slytherin. He grabbed Albus' broom. "Nice broom Potter."

Rose and Scorpius came up behind Albus. "I'd like that back Adams." Albus said evenly.

"What's going on Al?" Scorpius asked.

Hubert looked up from examining the broom. "Ah, a blood traitor and a son of a death eater. What a match."

Scorpius stepped forward. "Let me hex him."

"No don't, this doesn't need to be settled with a duel."

"Aw, look at ickle Potter giving instructions to his friends." Hubert mocked, his voice like a baby.

Albus was beginning to get wound up. "I'm no older than you Adams. Now give me back my Nimbus."

Hubert's smile broadened. "I don't think so. You see Potter, not all of us have famous parents and have no need to share their possessions."

Albus could see where this was going. He motioned to Rose who got out her gold Galleon and sent a message. Hubert saw the Galleon. "Holding your last precious Galleon Weasley? From what I've heard about your family, it's probably the only one you have in your possession."

Albus drew his wand. "Right Adams, that is it. You give me my broomstick and leave my friends and me alone now. Or else."

"Or else what? You'll summon me? Turn me into a snuff box?"

"Or we'll hex you. With no points docked." James' voice came from behind the trio. Albus turned to see his brother, Fred and Dominique with their wands raised and pointed at the three Slytherins. "Now Adams, that broomstick please."

Seeing defeat, Hubert dropped the broom, which Albus promptly picked it up and checked it for scratches and dents. Flanked by his own cronies, Hubert left the group of Gryffindor students.

"He may seem big and act it because it was a fair match. But bullies are always cowards when they know they are in the minor. Don't forget it." Fred advised.

"Wood asked me to remind you four that you've got Quidditch practise tonight. I think he'll want to test out the skills of your new broom Albus." Dominique informed those to whom it applied. 'Can we have a look Albus?"

Albus handed it over a lot happier. Even Dominique who knew little about broomsticks was impressed. The broom was five feet and was made of sleep, dark oak wood, with places for you feet that could be adjusted with ease. The tail was aerodynamic and the handle was snug and easy to grip. It went from 0-60 mph in 2.7 seconds, which was faster than the Firebolt 4 by 0.2 seconds. Realising they had three minutes until History of Magic, Rose, Scorpius and Albus ran to the Gryffindor tower, threw their belongings down and ran back down the staircases. Professor Binns was there as usual as soon as they were sitting down, started to drone. Within 10 minutes, most of the class was asleep.

The next few days passed lazily and happily. One day, Albus settled down, after the final lesson, in the Gryffindor common room with Theodore and Harry to do homework, all three boys were far behind. Not half an hour had gone by, when Scorpius burst into the common with his broom. He tried to speak to Albus but there was nothing coming out. Albus was confused. Scorpius was making strange arm movements as if he was trying to say something but couldn't. Then Albus understood. Scorpius had been hit with a silencing charm. The other students were laughing but Albus scanned his Charms textbook to his left and performed the counter curse.

"What happened to you Scorpius" Albus asked him.

"Got cornered by a group of third and fourth year Slytherins. I was on my way up to get you."

"Why me?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "We've got Quidditch practise. You were supposed to be there twenty minutes ago!"

Albus jumped up. "I'm such an idiot! How could I forget?"

"Well you did. We don't have time to change, just grab your Nimbus and we'll go from the window by your bed."

Albus was already racing up the stairs. When Scorpius reached the dormitory, two minutes later, Albus was in his robes and unlocking the window. Stepping up on the window ledge, Albus half got out of the window and climbed onto his broom. He kicked off, the wind whistling in his ears. The broom was as amazing as his dad had said. He was very quickly, very far from his window. Re-tracing his steps, he found Scorpius sitting on his broom in mid-air, amazed. Coming to his senses, Scorpius raced ahead of Albus who caught him up easily. The pitch was soon looming up in front of them and Albus saw a group of students flying around the pitch. The duo flew over the stands and Scorpius flew off to where James and Holly were practising their passes. Albus flew down to where Wood was fighting to get the Bludgers back in the box.

"Sorry I'm late Wood. I forgot we had practise."

Wood turned to face him, panting. 'Well it's a good thing you are a quick seeker. In a bit, we'll release the balls and have a full blown one-sided game of Quidditch. Practise with the golf balls for a bit and try to dodge the chasers. We're going fast today."

Albus nodded and took the golf balls from beside the box. Tucking all of them in his right pocket of the robes, Albus flew up to where the chasers were flying. He retrieved one of the balls and threw it is hard as he could. Watching it speed away, eh urged his broom and soon had the ball safely in the palm of his hand. Albus soon realised what Wood had meant by a fast pace in the session. With six weeks until the match against Slytherin, training was getting more frequent and sub-sections were less so.

An hour and a half later, the end of training shattered Albus. He still had three pieces of homework and food to eat. Trudging his way up to the castle, with Scorpius, made it seem a lot longer time then it should have been. Despite his mind saying no, Albus climbed onto his broom and kicked off. This was definitely the best way to travel. He could hear Scorpius coming up behind him and Albus went round the side of the castle to the Gryffindor tower. The light was fading and more and more castle lights in the windows were appearing. Finding the dormitory window, the only open one; Albus and Scorpius flew in and climbed off their brooms. Their hair windswept and wet, they hurriedly tried to flatten their hair as they changed back into their school robes. As they pulled their robes back on, Scorpius gasped in pain as his arm went through the sleeve of his shirt.

"Are you okay Scorpius?" Albus asked worriedly.

Scorpius furrowed his brow. "I think so. I must have bruised my arm in practise."

"Let me see." Scorpius pulled the sleeve off gently and Albus gasped. "You need to see Madam Pomfrey as soon as dinner is over." Scorpius had a huge bruise on his arm that was already starting to show. It was covering up most of his arm. "On second thoughts, you need to see her now. You wont be able to move it, let alone eat. We'll take the brooms back afterwards on our way to dinner."

Nodding numbly, Scorpius put his shirt half on with great difficulty. Taking his broom, Albus lead the way down the staircase, through the common room and down two flights of stairs to the hospital wing. There was only one other person there and Madam Pomfrey was just coming out of her office. She took one look at Scorpius' arm and indicated the bed nearest the boys. Albus held Scorpius in and watched as he took off his shirt to show Madam Pomfrey the growing bruise. She was not impressed and quickly applied a white cream that immediately reduced the red around the bruise and swelling. Even the bruising seemed to get smaller and less angry.

"Well Mr Malfoy, I don't think that you've broken any bones, just had a nasty bump. That bruise will be gone within the hour and the pain just as soon. You two can go down to dinner."

Murmuring their thanks, Albus and Scorpius left the hospital wing. "My arm does feel a lot better." Scorpius mused.

"Good, it looks it. We can't have you injuring yourself again. Don't scare me." There was a pause. "Scorpius, how did you actually get that bruise?"

Scorpius looked away embarrassed. "You'll laugh at me."

"No I won't. I promise not to."

Scorpius sighed. "Well I was practising my speed flying and I didn't brake in time and crashed into one of the goalposts, arm first. I wasn't going the fastest I have ever gone. It was just one of those times when you are so distracted by something else, that you don't pay attention to where you're going."

Albus couldn't help but smile. "I've done that so many times, just walking. I nearly crash into the ground every time I do a Wronski Feint. If I get it wrong by a couple of centimetres, I could be seriously injured."

Scorpius smiled. "Very true. Could you teach me how to do it? For like when you caught the Quaffle in our first flying lesson. Just in case. It looks so much fun. Have you tried it out on your Nimbus yet?"

Albus shook his head. "No I haven't tried it yet. It would be a good idea though. Speed is everything in a Wronski Feint as is timing. Maybe when I've mastered it on the Nimbus and when I have time. They give us so much homework."

"I know."

They had reached the broom cupboard and quickly shoved the brooms back in. There was now an extra hook for Albus' Nimbus at the back so it was hidden from sight. Closing the door, the boys continued to the Great Hall and made their way to where Harry and Theodore were sitting. The food was already on the table and Albus found it difficult to find an empty seat as so many students were milling around. Eventually he found a seat near Harry and Rose, who were eagerly discussing the Transfiguration homework. Huge dishes of spaghetti and bowls of bolognaise sauce sat in front of Albus and he had to stand to reach the ladle inside the dishes. Platters of vegetables and cheese were also scattered and Albus was ravenous so started to pile up immediately. The smell was almost too much to bear and made him even hungrier than before. Hoping for a quiet and uneventful evening, Albus joined in the Transfiguration conversation between mouthfuls of food, hoping to pick up a few tips. But halfway through the meal, in a lull in the general noise, the main doors were flung wide open and Victoire burst in, her eyes wild with fear and she was shouting at the top of her voice.

"Professor Scamander! Professor Scamander! Code Red! Code Red!"

The hall fell silent and Professor Scamander stood up. Only a few students knew what Code Red was, the signal that the castle could be under siege and there was a protocol if it was warned. Albus and Rose looked at each other in horror. What could have happened? "What's going on Miss Weasley?"

Victoire had stopped and shaking. "Its Beauxbatons, there's been an explosion. Both the Junior and Senior Section. The whole castle has been blown to pieces. We need to initiate the protocol for Code Red."

There was silence and then everyone started to scream. Albus and Rose looked at each other. "Louis!" they both cried.

Louis Weasley was Bill and Fleur's youngest son and the brother of Victoire and Dominique. He was in his final year at Beauxbatons Academy Junior School. There was a commotion as students started to panic and it took a good five minutes for Professor Scamander to calm the whole hall down.

"Code Red," she started, "for those of you who are unaware, has been in place since the Battle of Hogwarts nineteen years ago. As of now, until the area is deemed safe, no one is allowed to enter or exit the castle or grounds. There are sixteen designated areas in the castle for specifics groups of students. A teacher who will remain with them until the area has been deemed safe will escort each group there. Food will be delivered to the areas as will sleep arrangements. Everyone sit down." Not wanting to disobey the headmistress at a time like this, everyone hastily took a seat. "Could the seventh year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs now make their way with Professor MacMillan to the Gryffindor McGonagall sub-section room?" the mentioned students stood up silently and left immediately. "The seventh year Ravenclaw and Slytherins go to the Slytherin Riddle sub-section room with Professor Zabini." The sixth year Gryffindor and Ravenclaw to the Ravenclaw Lovegood sub-section room with Professor Flitwick." Slowly the room started to empty until a handful of second years and the first years were left. "The second year Gryffindor and Hufflepuffs please go to the Gryffindor common room with Professor Longbottom." Albus watched as James got up, gave Albus a reassuring smile and left with the other second year Gryffindors. "The first year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws please go to the Ravenclaw common room with Professor Thomas."

As if automatically, Albus stood up and followed Rose and Professor Thomas out of the Great Hall and up to the bronze eagle knocker where Albus had met Dominique on his first meeting at Hogwarts. That seemed like an age ago and yet it was only a month or so ago. Giving th password, Professor Thomas opened the door and let the students in. the Ravenclaw common room was huge, at least twice the size of the Gryffindor common room. There were many squashy armchairs like in the Gryffindor but they were blue rather than red and gold. The walls were a sky blue and were decorated with famous witches and wizards who had been members of Ravenclaw. At the end of the common room stood a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw. She stood, immortalised in bronze, towering above the students.

"For the Gryffindors, welcome to the Ravenclaw common room. The food will arrive shortly, as will sleeping bags for you all to sleep in tonight. None of you are allowed to leave the room so the dormitories are out of bounds. As of now, nothing but patronus' can penetrate the protection around this room."

With that, Professor Thomas turned his back on the students, drew his wand and started to murmur some unknown spells. Albus spotted Rose over by Eleanor Davies and a girl he vaguely recognised. Harry and Scorpius were already in a heated battle of Gobstones and all over the common room, he now saw games and pots of food beginning to appear. His stomach grumbling loudly, Albus went over to Rose and grinned.

"Hey."

The trio made their way over to where Harry and Scorpius had just finished their game with a win for Harry. Pulling on Rose's sleeve, Albus dragged them over to the food. Many students had already got their food and were settling down to eat. They piled up their plates and found a cluster of armchairs near the fire. Exhausted, Albus collapsed into the nearest armchair with his plate and began to eat. The evening dragged on and even Albus had to admit he could do his homework with the time he now had spare. Breaking away from his fourth consecutive win at Exploding Snap, Albus dragged his bag back to an armchair, grabbed a handful of chocolate brownies and wearily collected his Astronomy homework. Fully absorbed in his homework, Albus didn't notice the time until Professor Thomas broke the quiet that had settled over the first years, who had followed Albus' lead and were all curled up in armchairs, reading or doing their homework.

"First years, it is time for bed. The restrictions have not been lifted and so, you will spend the night in here. Get a good night's sleep, I doubt there will be very much happening."

He waved his wand and 22 squashy purple sleeping bags appeared. Grabbing the nearest sleeping bag and hastily putting away his homework, Albus found a spot near Scorpius and settled down. One by one, the other first years fell asleep, but Albs kept tossing and turning. He kept thinking about Louis, the happy little redhead cousin who had only turned 11 three days ago. Could he have survived? He had inherited his parents' exceptional magical talents. He was sweet natured and tempered which meant that he could get out of chores easily, apparently much to the annoyance of his sisters. Would be ever see him again? Worrying and panicking slightly for the sake of his cousins, Albus fell into a dreamless and restless sleep.

**A/N: big cliff hanger! what do you think? Is Louis safe? Please review! Thank you to all who have been reviewing so far!**


	11. The Mourning at Morning

********A/N: I do not own any of the characters except for: all the first years bar Rose, Albus and Scorpius; Edward Wood, Holly Willow, Darren Sloper, Connor Jordan and any characters that you do not recognise. If you are not sure, then message me or leave me a review :)********

**Chapter 11**

The sparkling sun dancing on the lake and through each pane of glass did not reflect the mood inside Hogwarts. The curfew had only been lifted at 10am and lessons had been cancelled for the day. No one felt up to learning and teaching. Even Rose admitted that she didn't feel like doing anything. A lazy breakfast met the first year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws as they came, yawning and stretching from the Ravenclaw common room. Surveying the room, Rose was heavy hearted. Normally when Rose enter the Great Hall, Rose couldn't help but smile as she witnesses friends chatting, frantic last minute homework being done and even a food fight once in a while. Today the air was sad and sombre. Only the bare minimum of chatter could be heard this morning. Apart from this, everyone else was eating in solid silence. Rose slipped into a seat by Albus, who was staring straight ahead and eating a piece of toast. He was normally very chatty and happy but today, he was the opposite. The only person near her, who was talking, was James. Rose looked at him and suddenly had an idea but then firmly put it out of her mind. She couldn't be responsible for that. It was against every moral and good intention that she stood for normally. But then again, Rose thought, desperate times call for desperate measure. Shaking her head at herself, she grabbed a pain au chocolate and made her way over to James, who was talking Quidditch (Rose rolled her eyes) with one of his friends. Unsure of how to approach it, Rose stood awkwardly behind him for a few seconds and then coughed. James turned around, slightly startled at noise so close.

"Oh hey Rose. Can you believe it? They've cancelled Quidditch for the next fortnight until Hogwarts is truly deemed safe."

"Look James, I don't care too much for Quidditch and it's not what I came to talk to you about."

James saw Rose's serious face and nodded then turned to his friend. "Emma, we'll finish that conversation later." The girl nodded and he turned back to Rose. "Sit down Rose and talk to me."

Rose took a seat nervously. 'Well I'm not exactly sure how to put it."

"What do you want or need help with? Boy trouble? Homework? Friends? Al? Just spit it out."

Rose phrased her question carefully and tentatively. "Even with the current situation, are you still in touch with your prankster side?"

James looked genuinely shocked. "Why? Don't you think it could be a little counter-productive at this time?"

"But that's exactly why we need you at the moment. Okay I'm still petrified about Louis but look around you. You can barely hear yourself think on a normal day. They need something to liven them up, take their minds off last night's events. They need something to talk about."

James smiled. "Is Rose Weasley asking me to cause a bit of havoc and chaos? Am I going deaf?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Yes I am and don't push your luck again. Do you have any idea in mind? I may have a plan. But Luna is going to speak to the entire school in 15 minutes."

"Well then, we have our timings. We just need the ingredients and the method."

The two put their heads together and started to talk. Albus looked over. Rose barely spoke to James normally as she disapproved of his methods of amusing himself. He hadn't heard from his parents on any news of Louis, although he had to admit to himself that he had only sent Tonks an hour ago. Scorpius was next to him, just as pale but not from last night's events. From the sound of his talking in his sleep last night, Scorpius had been worrying about his parents. He was yet to have the courage to tell his parents where he had been placed a month ago. The teasing had subsided and he had seemed a lot happier at the present. Albus looked back at James and Rose. They were in deep conversation and even James looked fairly serious. Albus checked his watch, ten minutes until Professor Scamander gives his speech. Then he saw James and Rose slip out of the hall. Albus made to get up and follow them but Harry pulled him down.

"Where are you going? Professor Scamander is going to give her speech in a minute.

Albus sat down. He was eager to know what was going on. Then he felt his Galleon heating up in his pocket. He took it out and read the message: Feel like helping us cause a bit of mayhem? We need another decent flier. R + J. Rose causing mayhem? Of all the people in Hogwarts that he knew, Rose was the least likely person to want to do something naughty, especially at a time like this. Muttering a mumbled and hurried excuse, Albus left the Great Hall. He met Rose and James in the Entrance Courtyard. James was holding two brooms.

"Honestly Rose, I thought you knew better than to meddle in James' tricks."

"But it wasn't my idea little bro." James winked. "Rose came up with the idea."

Albus looked at her shocked. "The hall looked gloomy, I thought it could do with a bit of brightening up." Rose explained.

"So, what did you have in mind? You do know that if this goes wrong and people take it the wrong way, we're looking at least two months detention here don't you?"

"As long a it goes okay, we'll be fine. They wont know it was us."

"So…"

James leant in and whispered in Albus' ear. A grin spread slowly over his face. "Why do you need me thought" he mused. "Where do the brooms come in?"

"How do you expect we can get the Wildfire Bangs into the castle? You and I are going to fly to the only windows in the Great Hall that actually open and we can stand on. Rose is in charge of the powder."

"But nothing shows up in the powder."

James rolled his eyes. "We've adapted them. Teddy told me how he and George found a formula Fred had been working on. Its been tested and approved."

Albus checked his watch. "We've got five minutes until Luna starts lecturing. Where are the Wildfire's?"

James sighed. "In my dorm. Rose," he handed Rose two small black objects, "two I think will cover it. Maybe get someone to go at the other end of the table to cover the whole room."

Rose nodded. "I'll get Lucy, she's trustworthy enough."

"Throw it as soon as Luna starts to talk. It'll take us a few minutes to get the stuff and open the windows. Good luck."

With that, James and Albus climbed onto their brooms and kicked off. Rose watched as they sped away, the smaller dot further ahead already. Smiling, Rose went back into the Great Hall and made her way over to Lucy, who was eating in silence, and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around startled, but relaxed as she saw who it was.

"Hey Rose."

"Hey Lucy. I need your help. James and Albus are planning a little spectacle to brighten up everyone's mood." She quickly pressed one of the black objects into Lucy's hand. "Its Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. You know how to use it?" Lucy nodded. "We need one at each end of the table. You go to the doors and I'll be by the High Table. When Professor Scamander has talked for about a minute, I'll nod and then throw it as high you can into the air. You know the effect. Sit down quickly and enjoy the show! You up to it?"

Lucy smiled. "Anything to get this place more alive. Why not?"

"Stand up until we throw and look as if you're looking for someone. Try to look at me as Professor Scamander starts to talk. We'll be able to 'communicate' easier then."

Lucy nodded, got up and made her way to the door end of the Gryffindor table as Rose wandered down to the teacher's end. She looked up at the windows and located the window through which the Weasley Wildfire Bangs would come through. Soon she saw the silhouettes of her two mischievous cousins with their backs to the window. Soon Professor Scamander started to talk.

"Ladies and gentlemen, wizards and witches. It cannot be denied that we have all had a terrible shock last night. I have the statistics here in my hand." Rose looked at Luna sharply. This wasn't what they were expecting.

Nodding furiously at Lucy, Rose threw her powder in the air and suddenly the whole room went pitch back. Even the ceiling was black. Several people screamed and Rose hurriedly sat down on the edge of the nearest bench. There was a small fizzing sound and then it took off. Soon the air was buzzing with noises and loud bursts as ever Weasley Wizard Bangs that Rose could think of, cam dancing through the windows. Then, to Rose's delight, people started to laugh and cheer. James and Albus were clearly using at least half their stock. There was also some Dr Filibuster's No Wet, No-Heat Fireworks in there too. By the time the display had ended, a good five minutes later, the hall was buzzing with whispers and laughter. The Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder had worn off just in time and Rose saw Professor Scamander standing up. She did not look happy. The figures from the windows had gone and soon Rose saw James and Albus slip in and take a seat near Lucy. Professor Scamander coughed and silence fell once again.

"I don't know whose idea of a practical joke that was," Rose gulped, Luna did not look or sound happy at all, "but it was a welcome relief. Could I see all the Weasley's and Potter's after I dismiss everyone." There were a few nervous laughs and Rose felt herself go red. "I am pleased to say that the mortality rate at Beauxbatons was not particularly high as the explosives were planted in main areas of the school and most students were in lessons rather than in the grounds and their Great Hall. I must stress that the highest security has been placed around Hogwarts. Owls will be able to go back and forth, but, for the moment, no one is being allowed to enter or exit the Hogwarts grounds. I had previously mentioned that all Quidditch is postponed until further notice." there were a few exchanged looks of horror amongst the students who hadn't heard this. "But after much persuasion from Mr James Potter of the third year and Miss Stephanie Boot of the fifth year, I have decided that Quidditch is going to be allowed." There was a loud cheer and whooping from James' direction but Luna held a hand up. "However play height will be restricted to the height of this hall. Lessons will resume as normal tomorrow and any homework due today, must be handed in today. Off you go and heave a safe and fun day."

She sat down and everyone else got up. Rose could see her cousins fighting their way through the crowd of students eager to get out of the hall to enjoy the autumn sun. James reached her first and they gave each other a high five. Albus was close behind him. Fred suddenly appeared.

"So these are the culprits?"

They spun around and saw him grinning. 'How can you tell it was us?" Albus questioned.

"For one, dear cousin, James and Rose just high fived each other, giving and indication of celebration. The only thing worth celebrating recently was the fireworks display. Number two; you and James are useless at sneaking in quietly. You trod on at least two dodgy floorboards coming back in. and number three, Weasley Wildfire Bangs? You could have used Dr Filibuster's. The show had 'Weasley' stamped all over it from the start with the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder to the end with Uncle George's new and improved 'Wildfire Whizzers'."

"We did use some Filibuster's. And some Jordan and co luminous Catherine Wheels." James protested.

"Come on, we haven't got all day for you lot to be chatting." Victoire's voice was as cold as ice.

Albus grinned. "Actually Victoire, we do."

There wasn't any laughter at this and so Albus, highly embarrassed, took the lead up to the High Table where Luna was waiting for them. Her face was solemn and Rose couldn't help but think that this would only lead to more disasters. All the other teachers had disappeared and Luna came from behind and led the way back to the Gryffindor table. She indicated and they all took a seat, exchanging nervous looks. Luna sat down and took a deep breath.

"There are two things I need to talk to you all about. One, judging from the natural of the source of the fireworks, I assumed that at least one of you was responsible for the display. I'm not going to condemn it, but it would be good to know who was involved." Slowly Rose sheepishly raised her hand followed by James and Albus. Luna raised her eyebrows. "I'm surprised at you Miss Weasley, I expected better of you."

Rose gave a small smile. "I have to admit Professor, I didn't just take part, and I was the instigator. The Great Hall was so contrasting this morning with what is normally found. It wasn't natural. I felt an urge to cheer it all up."

"Thank you Rose, I appreciate your honesty. My second piece of news is a lot graver. In total, there were five fatalities and seventeen people seriously injured." She paused and swallowed. With a tear in her eye she started again but Rose knew where this was heading. "One of the explosives was at the back of a classroom and detonated at the start of the lesson. Louis was sitting at the back of the room on that day. I'm sorry."

There was a silence. Rose nodded, feeling nothing. Louis would never be coming home. He'd never see another Christmas or go to Hogwarts. He'd never get his own wand from Ollivanders or stand in front of the school to get sorted. Rose would never see him bound into her house with his red curls bouncing around his angelic face. She wanted to cry but couldn't. There was just emptiness insider her. A piece of her heart had been stolen and was never coming back. Albus was still in shock but Victoire and Dominique were crying. Dominique had been close to Louis, Rose knew, but it was distressing for them both. James had his arm around Dom and Fred pulled out his own handkerchief for Victoire. Both boys' faces were wet with tears and even Albus started to well up at the edge of his eyes. Professor Scamander waved her wand and the hangings in the hall changed from their normal four house colours, to black with the Gryffindor lion and Ravenclaw eagle standing out against the black. Rose looked up at them.

"He wouldn't have been placed anywhere else." Luna said with a sad smile. "He deserves to be sorted in some form, even if it is divvied between two houses that would have been lucky to have him."

Rose nodded. "Thank you Luna – I mean Professor Scamander." She hastily corrected herself.

"Its only family Rose, you can call me Luna." She smiled. "Go and grieve with your cousins." As Rose turned away, Luna added. "Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to say something tonight at the feast? I'm sure everyone would appreciate, the Weasley's are a large part of the community."

Rose nodded. "Sure."

"Thank you."

Rose went over to Albus who was now crying, his whole body shaking. His fists were clenched and he was clearly trying to hold the tears back but was failing. She put a comforting arm around him but he shrugged it off. Unable to bear the atmosphere, Rose left the Great Hall and pulled out her coin. Lucy, Danielle, Elizabeth. She didn't feel like talking to any of them. There was a bench in the corner and, to Rose's surprise, sat Scorpius waiting patiently. Before she could stop herself, Rose went over to him. She stood awkwardly in front of him and eventually he looked up.

"Hey Rose."

"Hey Scorpius. Do you mind if I –?"

"No of course not." Rose sat down tentatively. "What did the Prof want?"

"Nothing."

There was something in Scorpius' soft kind tone of voice that suddenly brought back all the feelings that Rose had not felt when she was originally told of Louis' death. "Come on Rose, if I was nothing, then why hasn't Al and the rest come out?"

Rose started to cry. "Its Louis, Vic and Dom's little brother. He was by one of the explosives when it detonated yesterday."

"I'm so sorry." Scorpius said awkwardly. "Is Al still upset?"

"I think I was just in too much shock to cry at the time. They're all in there. I couldn't stand it."

Doing the only thing he thought he should do, Scorpius put his arm around Rose. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he pulled her in tighter as the tears started to fall like a waterfall. It was a good fifteen minutes before Rose could speak properly again. She wiped her eyes furiously.

"I – I must look like an idiot, blubbering away." Rose tried to make herself look better.

"No its okay. You have a good reason Rose. Cry more if you want to." The doors opened and the others came through. Rose and Scorpius hurriedly broke apart and Albus came over to them as Fred, Victoire and Dominique left.

"Hey Scorpius, do you want to go and practise on the brooms? I can teach you the Wronski Feint."

Sensing the only reason Al wanted to do it was to take his mind off Louis, Scorpius nodded. "Sounds great. Let's go."

The pair left and James sat down next to Rose on the bench where Scorpius had been. "They're not going to get very much Quidditch in." Rose commented after a pause.

"Why not?" James looked at her.

"Al's completely broken. In fact, he shouldn't be attempting it at all."

"He's done it loads of times."

"Of course. But not after his cousin has just died." Tears welled up in James' eyes and Rose felt bad. "I'm sorry James, I shouldn't have been so harsh. I suppose it's just…" Rose trailed off but James nodded.

"Side effect. Don't worry about it Rose. Us Weasley's and Potter's must stick together in times like this. That's why there are so many of us!"

Rose couldn't help but smile at that. James drew Rose into a hug and she buried her head into his chest. He put his head on her mass of red curls and closed his eyes briefly. He breathed in and smelt the perfume that he had bought her for her birthday last year. It was, well, perfect. After a while they went outside to try and enjoy the warm sunshine. Rose shielded her eyes as they first went outside, having seen little natural light since the previous afternoon. Before either of them could sit down, Rose felt her coin heat up. She took out and read the message. It was from Albus' coin but the message was from Scorpius: Rose, I need you now! Albus in major trouble! I don't know what to do; we're at the Quidditch pitch. S. James and Rose looked at each other with horror.

"The broom cupboard is close. We'll grab a broom each. How fast can you go?" James panted to Rose as he ran back into the castle.

They raced up to the broom cupboard. James grabbed his own Firebolt and Rose unlocked the nearest school broom which she realised was the same broom that Albus had used in his flying lessons. Not bothering with the stairs again, James shut the door, climbed on his broom and kicked off. Rose followed suit and soon could see why James was a talented chaser. The stairs kept moving and Rose followed him to the tail, almost hitting a few stairs narrowly. Out into the grounds, James rose a little higher and urged his broom on. No one else is going to die. Not another family member. Not Al. He may appear to tease him the whole time, but really cared about him. The Quidditch pitch was now right in front of him and he could hear a feeble 'Help! Help!' coming from the ground. Checking Rose was still behind him; he pulled up and over the stands. There a sight he never wanted to see again as long as he lived met him. Scorpius was waving his arms frantically. Albus was lying spread-eagle face down on the grass, his broom lying next to him. James tilted and urged his broom to go the fastest he had ever gone. Within a few seconds, James had landed, clambered off his broom, and got Scorpius by the shoulders and was shouting in his face.

"What happened? What have you done Malfoy?"

"I don't know James." Scorpius was terrified. "I don't think he got the angle or timing right."

"James stop it!" Rose pulled James' hands off Scorpius, who backed away slightly. She hadn't seen her cousin so angry. "It isn't his fault." James shrugged her off. "Let's just get Al to the hospital wing."

"Check his injuries." James mused. "That would be a good idea."

He kneeled and rolled Albus over onto his back and then reeled in shock. A combination of blood, mud, skin, grass and white paint covered his face, arms and legs. His nose and right leg was at an awkward angle. Rose stepped back, a hand clapped over her mouth. Albus wasn't moving. James quickly tried to apply CPR and soon Albus was breathing quietly again. James was frantic with worry, as he pulled out his handkerchief and began to wipe away the mud and paint. He turned to Scorpius.

"Malfoy, get Madam Pomfrey or Professor Thomas or…or the first teacher you can find. Fly there, walking is too slow." James picked up Albus' Nimbus, looked at it for a second and then held it out to Scorpius. "Use it, Al would want you to."

Nodding, Scorpius grabbed it and flew off. The broom was more than Al had described. It was lighter than air and felt as if it wasn't there. He was soon at the castle doors and was spotted by Professor Longbottom who had been pruning his Venomous Tentacula. Hearing Scorpius' hurried and tearful story, he turned on the spot and landed beside James who was still trying to get Albus' face clean. Neville pointed his wand, wished with all his might and muttered a spell. Sure enough, the blood and general mess on Albus' face was gone. He lay there, peaceful, with scars on his face that began to heal up. Scorpius landed beside the Professor, who had his arm around Rose.

"Has he got a pulse Mr Potter?" Neville checked.

"I lost it once or twice but Rose is excellent at CPR, better than me. What's your assessment Professor?"

Neville thought for a moment, studying Albus. "I'd say at least a couple of broken bones and concussion. But I'm no Healer; he needs to see Madam Pomfrey. I'll take him by Side-Along Apparition. Put the brooms away, take Mr Potter's with you and come up. Once Mr Potter comes round, I'm sure he would be delighted to see you."

"Thank you Professor." Rose wiped away the tears for the second time that morning.

Neville knelt down and gently put one arm under Albus' head and the other under his knees. Steadying himself, he stood up and nodded to the trio. He turned once more on the spot and was gone, Albus with him. James collected Albus' broom and they all kicked off from the ground. James tucked the broom under his arm like a Quaffle but it was a lot harder than it looked to carry. Making their way up to the castle in an arrow formation, Rose, James and Scorpius flew up to the broom cupboard. Half-throwing them in, they slammed the door and raced up the stairs to the fifth floor. Not bothering to knock, they burst into the hospital wing and ran over to the bed where Albus was lying. Professor Longbottom was talking with Madam Pomfrey.

"…and a huge shock this morning. He was a fool to go out on the broomstick this morning."

"thank you Neville, who found him?"

"I believe he was with Mr Malfoy at the time of the accident."

James ran up to Madam Pomfrey. "is he going to be alright?"

"he should be conscious within half an hour."

James sighed, relieved. "how bad are the injuries?"

"I can expand on what I believe Professor Longbottom told you. Broken nose and right leg. Severe concussion from the speed he was going at. Deep cuts on his face, arms and legs. I'm putting his leg in a cast and he should be out in time for dinner this evening. You may stay until he wakes and then go down for lunch."

"thank you Madam Pomfrey." They chimed.

There were three seats by the end, James and Scorpius took one side of the bed while Rose sat on the other side. Albus looked as if he was smiling. There were several scars on his face, the longest one running from just below his left eye, down his cheek and almost touching his chin. As Madam Pomfrey came over and rolled up Albus' sleeves to apply a cream to his wounds, Rose saw the growing bruises and cuts that were dotted all over his body. It looked like Albus had bit hit with a minor Slashing Spell than been knocked unconscious by falling off a broom. Madam Pomfrey left them alone, having applied the cream and Professor Longbottom muttered something under his breath about 'tending to his Mimbulus Mimbletonia'. He left also, leaving them alone with Albus. His nose was covered in bandages and his leg was now in a cast. When would Albus awaken? The minutes dragged by but there was no sign of life.

**A/N: An action packed chapter. What do you think? Should i have killed off Louis? What about Rose and Scorpius? Should they become 'an item' as it were? Would love comments, suggestions and feedback. Thank you to all those who have reviewed. I like to know that there are people reading it so please review whether you like the story or not. If you don't, why? I would appreciate your opinions.**

**I have also added bits to Chapter 5 and Chapter 7 which are well worth reading. Do go back to them if you want to.**


	12. The Light

**********A/N: I do not own any of the characters except for: all the first years bar Rose, Albus and Scorpius; Edward Wood, Holly Willow, Darren Sloper, Connor Jordan and any characters that you do not recognise. If you are not sure, then message me or leave me a review :)**********

**Chapter 12**

Sheets? Why could he feel sheets? He was in the air, hurtling towards the ground. Oh, man. He must have crashed. What an idiot you are Albus Severus Potter, he thought as he tried to familiarise himself with his surroundings. The sheets were too soft to be in the dormitory. Albus' heart sank. He must be in the hospital wing. Or in St Mungo's. What did the air smell like? Albus started to try and sniff but it hurt so much that he stopped himself. Okay the only thing to do was to look. Slowly and tentatively, Albus opened his eyes to see three anxious pairs looking back at him. Suddenly he was engulfed in a huge bear hug.

"You idiot! What did you think you were doing, attempting a Wronski Feint straight after Louis?" James let go of Albus and looked at him, smiling. "You're a right mess you know."

"Good to see you conscious mate!" Scorpius grinned.

"How long was I out?" Albus asked anxiously.

"Well, it's nearly 3pm and we found you at 1.30 so around an hour and a half." Rose's voice came from Albus' left.

Albus looked from sympathetic face to sympathetic face. "How bad is it?"

Scorpius grinned. "Couple of broken limbs, well leg and nose. And it looks like you've been hit with a Slashing Jinx." Albus looked horrified. "But only a little bit."

There was an awkward silence. Albus could tell that they were keeping something from him. "What are you not saying? What happened?" he started to panic. "Don't scare me."

Rose took his left hand. "This is going to be hard on you Al. you leg is broken in several places. It isn't going to be fully healed for another three to four weeks, even with Madam Pomfrey's extensive magical medical knowledge. The bones have been set back in the right place but they need to heal. No amount of magic can do that." She paused and Albus looked confused.

"So? So what does that mean?"

Rose closed her eyes, imagining his reaction. "We're talking special equipment that will help you get up and down stairs easily. That's optional, if you want it. The one thing that Madam Pomfrey was adamant on was," Rose couldn't bear to look at Albus but she made herself, "this means no Quidditch Al. no flying lessons and definitely no team practise."

Albus sat up. "What? Is she serious?"

James grimaced. "Its gonna be hard on all of us. She is deadly serious. Scorpius and I had a go at her too. We can't have a full-blown one-sided game of Quidditch without you. We've got to tell Wood. Lottie can fill in for you for the time but it won't be the same."

"But I can't do that. We've got six weeks until the match. I have to practise. I can't just stop attending practise for three weeks."

"But if you do practise, your leg will get worse and you'll miss the Quidditch game all together." Scorpius chimed in. "don't miss your first match because you insisted on practising for it. That is just pointless. Do it and pass the time somehow."

"When is Madam Pomfrey going to release me?"

"Before dinner tonight." James stomach rumbled loudly. "Speaking of food, its lunch time. We'll be back with stuff to entertain you with after lunch and some food. We promise to try and come back in one piece. At least after Wood has finished with us."

That cracked Albus who hadn't smiled since the previous evening. "I'll cross my fingers."

They got up and left the hospital wing. Hurrying down the stairs, the castle seemed eerily quiet. Even as they approached the Great Hall, the normal bubble of chatter was yet to resume to its normal volume. The doors were open and the trio slipped in and took their places with their year. There was more talk than at breakfast and, as Scorpius sat down, a lot of it seemed to be about the fireworks. There were a heated debate going on between Elizabeth and Harry. Clearly, Elizabeth had not enjoyed the fireworks but Harry was fighting strong against her constant tirade.

"It was a great idea Elizabeth. It cheered everyone up!" Harry was arguing.

"The timing was stupid. Professor Scamander was talking about something really serious. Bet you anything that James Potter had something to do with it."

"You can't prove it. If he has, then I want to congratulate him. He did a very good job. It was a spectacular show."

"It was stupid. I can bet four Galleons that if James had anything to do with it, then Albus could have had a hand. I'd slap them both if they were involved."

Scorpius, at this point, decided to step in. "well, if you want to add a broken jaw and feelings to his broken nose and leg, then go ahead Finnegan."

Elizabeth and Harry turned sharply. "What?" Harry asked. "What happened to Al?"

"Only woke up from his concussion ten minutes ago. Crashed while attempting a Wronski Feint on his Nimbus. He was trying to take his mind off his dead cousin."

Harry put his hands up. "Whoa, slow down Scor, which dead cousin? When, where, how? Albus crashing? He never crashes in a Wronski."

Scorpius shook his head. "The hangings are going to be changed tonight. Louis, Victoire and Dom's little brother was almost at the heart of one of the explosions at Beauxbatons yesterday." Scorpius turned to Elizabeth. "And Finnegan, you are one of the few people who didn't enjoy the display. Yes, James and Albus were involved. In fact, so was Rose." Elizabeth and Harry stared at him dumbfounded. "It was their idea. So, if you feel like causing more emotional and physical pain, be my guest."

Scorpius raised an eyebrow in a challenging way. Elizabeth, trying to cover up what she had just said, hastily went back to her food. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, you were such a MALFOY just then, he thought to himself with disgust. Ever since he had joined Gryffindor house, he had tried so hard not to be the person everyone expected him to be with a name as blasphemous as Voldemort. To avoid more conversation, Scorpius too returned to his food. Today it was chilli con carne, his favourite. One bite and he was transported to another land, full of spice and different flavours that he couldn't describe. Oh, how he wished he could stay there all the time. But he couldn't and that was a fact.

Once he had finished his meal Scorpius got up. "Where are you going?" Harry asked.

"To see Al, come too. He'd be heartened to hear someone enjoyed the fireworks." Scorpius paused. "Where's Theo?"

Harry grimaced. "I think he's got a crush on Eleanor Davies."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Maybe we should just leave him then."

Harry leaned over to near Theodore. "Hey Theo!" he half yelled it but there was no response. Theodore was staring at Eleanor, love struck. Harry shrugged and turned back to Scorpius. "Mental, let's go."

Scorpius went and tapped Rose on the shoulder. "Hey Rose, Harry and I are going up. Do you want to come now?"

Rose shook her head. "I'll be another five minutes. Take Al a plate of the chilli."

Scorpius nodded and took a plate, which he promptly piled up with food. They made their way down to where James had been but he had already left. Carefully balancing a plate of food n one hand and a glass of pumpkin juice in the other, Scorpius followed Harry and made his way up to the hospital wing. As they reached the doors, they could hear groaning and Harry flung the doors open. Albus was in bed and James was writing on his cast. Seeing the boys' anxious faces, Albus grinned and the sighed. He had been playing them. His eyes widened at the food and drink in Scorpius' hands and grinned further.

"Food, finally!"

James opened his mouth in mock annoyance. "I brought up some food for you."

"An orange and a piece of lettuce. Not exactly the most filling of meals. Thanks guys." Albus added as Scorpius set the plate and glass down on his lap.

"How are you feeling mate?" Harry asked as he drew yet another chair.

"Alright. My left arm might be broken thought. Madam Pomfrey said it was in a pretty bad shape. Good think it's not my writing hand."

The boys laughed. "So how much longer have you got to stay in here?" Scorpius asked as Albus started to eat.

He shrugged and quickly swallowed his mouthful of food. "Another couple of hours or so. Madam Pomfrey is getting me special crutches and a wheelchair so I can go up and down stairs easily without doing too much damage to my arm." The boys laughed once more.

Three and a half hours later and Scorpius and Harry re-entered the hospital wing, having left an hour ago to wake Theodore from his love-crazed dream. They were yet to be successful. With his right leg in a cast, Albus pulled the covers back and twisted his legs around to the side of the bed. He put his shoe on his left foot and, with Scorpius' help, got himself into the specially-designed wheelchair. It had transpired that Albus' arm wasn't broken but it was in a cast for protection anyway. To minimise further damage, Madam Pomfrey had decided on a wheelchair would be easier to manage. So Scorpius and Harry had charge over wheeling him around and levitating his chair to go up and down stairs. Albus fitted his broken leg into the slot and put his hands on the wheels. Tentative at the start, he started to try and manoever himself around the wing. He found it surprisingly easy and, although his arms did tire and begin to hurt after ten minutes, he was very pleased with himself. Madam Pomfrey also seemed satisfied and, after one final check, let him go with the three boys and Rose. As they came to the main set of staircases, Harry, who was pushing Albus, stopped the wheelchair. The staircase they had come to was one of the longest at Hogwarts and seemed to go on for a long time.

"I don't think my levitation charm is that strong." Scorpius said. "James are you any good?"

"There's only one way to find out really." James rolled up his sleeves and took out his wand. He pointed it at Albus' wheelchair, which Albus gripped tightly and calmly said, "Wingardium Leviosa."

Albus' chair, to all their surprise, rose in the air and James, recovering quickly from his delight, guided Albus down the stairs. Once safely at the next level, the three boys and Rose raced down the stairs to join him. The whole process of getting Albus down to the Entrance Hall took what felt like twenty minutes (but was probably ten minutes), double the normal time.

With renewed strength, Albus waved goodbye to James and Rose as they went to join their friends and wheeled himself outside and into the Entrance Courtyard where the memorial stood. Only the boys were there when Harry wheeled Albus over. They hadn't really seen it properly and they went around it, studying the names. The column Albus was parked by was the list of the dead. Grabbing the crutches that were by the side of the chair, Albus heaved himself out of the chair. Standing up gave him a much better view of all the names. He traced his finger down the list of names, the cold marble making him shiver, and recognising a few of the names: Katie Bell, Colin Creevey, Firenze the centaur, Remus and Nymphadora Lupin, Frederick Weasley. A lump rose in his throat as he whispered the names his parents often talked about. Uncle Fred he could easily picture, the spitting image of Uncle George. The others were a lot harder. Albus had met many centaurs in his eleven year but Firenze was the one he had always dreamed of meeting. Sitting down back in his wheelchair, Albus up the crutches away and drew his wand.

Pointing it at the base of the column, Albus murmured "Orchadia," and drew a circle with his wand. Sure enough, the circle of flowers he had pictured came out of his wand. Taking them in his hand, he put them at the base of the column. "I promise you Uncle Fred, Remus and Nymph, Colin and Katie that I will do everything I can to revenge those who killed you and stop the evil that is haunting the wizarding world this year."

He looked back up at the names in silence but this was broken very quickly. "Al, my parents' names aren't on here. Neither are my grandparents."

Albus wheeled himself to where Scorpius stood confused on one of the sides of the column. "Well your mum would have been too young to fight." He murmured, scanning the list. Scorpius was list. The Death Eaters who had survived and died were on the lists, but nowhere were the names of the three Malfoys. "We should speak to Professor Scamander. That should be changed and I'm surprised it isn't there." Albus called to Harry who had disappeared. "Harry? Where are you?"

"I'm here." Harry reappeared. "And I think I've found your relative Scorpius."

Scorpius wheeled Albus round to where Harry was, by the list of the dead. Harry pointed. He was right. Under the names of Remus and Nymphadora Lupin were three names: Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, and Narcissa Malfoy. Albus shook his head and placed a comforting hand on Scorpius, who was shaking with anger. It wasn't right that they should be classified as dead when they were most definitely alive. Well, at least Draco and Lucius were.

"We have to change that." Scorpius voice was also shaking.

"I couldn't agree more. It is an insult to your grandmother's memory not to." Albus nodded.

Determined to speak to Professor Scamander, the boys made their way to the Great Hall. People were beginning to enter also. Food wasn't until quarter to eight but Professor Scamander was going to speak to the school again. True to her word, the hangings that ran the length of the hall were now jet black with the Gryffindor lion and Ravenclaw eagle emblazoned on it. There were a few mutterings about it, but they were more curious than disapproving. Many people came up to Albus to ask why he was in his state. He was getting tired of it, it was just a bit boring until Edward Wood spotted him and came over, his face thunderous.

"Potter –"

"It's only for a couple of weeks. I'll be fine for the match."

"You need to train! You can't train in a wheelchair and a leg and arm in casts."

"I'll get three weeks training in anyway afterwards. Scorpius is keeping me updated with the schedule and news." Edward started to speak but Albus cut him off. "I know this is important Wood but even Professor McLaggen agrees that I should rest for a couple of weeks." That shut Edward up. "I'll be doing the practise in my head. Don't worry."

"I do worry. Dad is coming to watch the match, it's the Internationals weekend and he wasn't picked for the England squad. I just want to show him I am pretty good. He told me he wouldn't come to see one of my games until I was made captain. I don't think he quite understands my ability."

Albus grinned. "Well we'll definitely prove to him that you've got Quidditch and leadership skills."

He also smiled. "I knew I could trust you. Get better soon, or else."

Albus laughed. "Sure."

Wood made his way back to the fourth year Gryffindors sand Harry wheeled Albus down o where Theodore and Scorpius were in a deep discussion with Rose and Lucy about the following day's Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. They had been promised some interesting creatures and they were speculating which creates would be seen. As Albus wouldn't be able to sit on the bench, Harry parked him beside Theodore and sat down on the other side. Before the conversation could go much further, Professor Scamander coughed and hall, now full, fell silent.

"Wizards and witches. Students of Hogwarts. I am sure that you are thoroughly bored of my voice and so I will only talk for a moment. The change in colour of the hangings is to respect and mourn the loss of Louis Weasley, brother and cousin to all the Weasley and Potter's in this room. Many of you will have known him through them and I hope that you will respect this fact. It is a sad occasion when someone we know or perhaps someone we don't know so well passes away. I have asked Rose Weasley, a first year Gryffindor; just to say a few words. Rose, do you want to come up?"

Professor Scamander nodded to Rose who, with her family and friends staring at her in shock, got up and made her way down to where Luna was standing at the lectern. It automatically adjusted to Rose's height as she drew a piece of parchment from her robes and put it on the stand. Luna went and sat down as Rose cleared her throat and began to read.

"Some say, that on a day with no lessons, you don't learn anything, or at least very little. Today I learnt a lot more than very little. I learnt two important life lessons, which I will treasure deeply. The first one was never to attempt a Wronski Feint straight after hearing that your cousin has died. Thanks for that one Albus." Albus grinned, she was clearly trying to clear the tension in the air and she was succeeding. There were a few giggles. "But the second thing made me think: always treasure each day as if it was your last. No-one anticipated the attacks and that is why I believe we must live each day to the full. We cannot know what will happen but can only hope and wish. No one truly expected the murders of people like Eileen and Tobias Snape, Sirius Black, Remus and Nymphadora Lupin. If we can't know what will happen next, we can't be prepared. We have to keep the faith that we are going to make it through, but at the same time, realise we may not. We have to keep friends as close as we can and treasure their faith and companionship in you. We have to know and remember that that is worth far more than any number of Galleons in Gringotts. To end, I want to finish with a poem that I write, with I feel respects Louis William Weasley's life and what life is. It is called Light:

The light at the end of the tunnel is drawing nearer,

A golden ray that glows and sparkles.

If every day could go on forever, there would be

No darkness.

I can't feel anything, all material is untouchable,

Why can't I? What's wrong with me?

She can't hear my but I'm screaming.

My lungs might explode.

I look down and my legs have holes of light

In them. Where are they going? They've gone.

Am I dying? The world is blurry, my eyes

Start to close. Is this the end? Life can't

Be as short as mine. Or can it?

Blinding light, blinding pain and blank.

I don't remember my family, just that there

Are a lot of them. I hope they don't forget me.

If they do, I might die. Oh wait, I am.

That's awkward."

Rose had begun to cry softly. She collected her papers and stepped down and went back to her place. She wasn't the only one with wet eyes. Victoire and Dominique were amongst many Gryffindor and Ravenclaw girls, and a few boys, who were crying too. Professor Scamander started to clap and soon the whole school were on their feet. Rose knew that they weren't just applauding her but Louis also. Those who knew him personally were snapping Muggle military salutes. He had inherited his love of Muggles from his grandfather and had made it clear that he wanted to go into the Muggle army to experience the world from their perspective. When the applause had died down and everyone was seated once more, Professor Scamander started tot talk.

"Thank you Rose for those moving and wise words. Lessons begin tomorrow. Let the feast begin."

The platters were filled and Rose tucked in. she felt all the better for having made the speech and having chicken breast stuffed with mozzarella. Rose felt the best she had since Louis had died.

**A/N: was that right? What do you think about the poem? I wrote it myself and is based on another poem I wrote. Please review!**


	13. Clawing the Hide

************A/N: I do not own any of the characters except for: all the first years bar Rose, Albus and Scorpius; Edward Wood, Holly Willow, Darren Sloper, Connor Jordan and any characters that you do not recognise. If you are not sure, then message me or leave me a review :) Also, so sorry for the late uploading. Hope you had a great Christmas and may 2012 be filled with Potterness and fun ************

**Chapter 13**

The Quidditch season was now fast approaching. Albus was out of the wheelchair within a few weeks. He was up in the air before you could say 'Quidditch'. After the explosion, the school had taken a long time to recover, but were healing.

The twentieth of November dawned cold and bright and, as Scorpius entered the hall, all the students were decked in various colours. A sea of red and gold met him as he slumped down at the Gryffindor table in his Quidditch robes next to Albus. On either side of the Gryffindor table, there were red and gold scarves where the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had come to show their support in the grudge match of the Quidditch season. Ravenclaw had flattened Hufflepuff two weeks ago 330-90 and the Gryffindor team were determined to better that. To Albus' annoyance, Hubert Adams had made the Slytherin team and it was infuriating to know Albus would have him on his tail rather than anyone else. The boy was hopeless anyway. Apart from Adams, the team seemed a lot bigger than Scorpius.

Not wanting to fly on an empty stomach, Scorpius piled up his plate with a full English breakfast. Rose slid in next to him, her hair straighter than usual and a Gryffindor scarf decorating her neck. As she settled down and started to pile up the food, she pulled on a huge lion hat onto her head.

"What on earth is that Rose?" Scorpius stared at the peculiar contraption that Rose was wearing.

"It's a hat Professor Scamander used when she supported Gryffindor. I'll show you how it works." Rose drew her wand and tapped the hat which promptly roared very loudly and caused several people around them to jump and look around for the source. "It has a volume control so you will be able to hear it from the pitch for certain."

Albus noticed an item that Rose always carried with her. "Rose, where's your bag?"

She shrugged. "I don't need it. It isn't as if I'm going to do any work at the Quidditch match." Albus and Scorpius looked at her incredulously. "What? I'm allowed to have a couple of hours off." She grinned at their faces. "I know, shocking right? Rose takes a day off work to see her cousin and friend in their first Quidditch match. It would make the front page of the Daily Prophet." She added sarcastically.

Albus shook his head and semi-quoted his uncle. "Who are you, and what have you done with Rose Weasley?"

Rose latched on to the quote and replied. "Left her bound and gagged in the first year girl's bedroom." She and Albus saw Scorpius' horrified face and burst out laughing. "Scor – I'm kidding. Now eat up, you've got a big game to prepare for. You'll need the energy."

Rose continued to fill her plate, strangely loving the care free attitude she was taking to her work today. It felt even more productive, for the first time, to take time off and enjoy herself without having to stress about homework. Putting lots of French toast, something her Aunt Fleur excelled at, onto her plate with bacon and fried eggs, she began to eat hungrily.

The match was scheduled to begin at eleven o'clock. Even the most focused students in the seventh year could not be kept away from Quidditch. It was an adrenaline rush, exciting and exhausting and that was just being in the crowd. Edward Wood signalled and Albus, James, Holly, Fred, Darren and Scorpius stood up and left the Great Hall to huge cheers from the Gryffindor table and a few boos from the Slytherin table. They made their way to the broom cupboard, collected their brooms (Scorpius was still using one of the school's Firebolt 4's) and flew down to the entrance to the pitch and went to the Gryffindor changing room. Scorpius started to feel nervous as they sat down. He was so excited to be representing his choice of house and not the house had been expected to be put in. Edward cleared his throat and the chatter between them ceased.

"Now guys and girl, this is the best team that Gryffindor has produced in years. There is no need for me to tell you how much you need to win this match. This is my first match as captain and I want to prove to everyone that I can be a good captain. I'm sure James and Albus knows exactly what it feels like to have to follow in the footsteps of your famous father." The two boys grinned. "I know that you want to win as much as I do. This is Slytherin we're talking about here, the biggest grudge match Gryffindor has ever had since Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin disagreed about witches and wizards being allowed entry into the school." Albus nodded. So that is why each house has always hated each other. He wished they had covered that in History of Magic. "These guys are no where near as good as us." Edward glanced at Scorpius apologetically. "Sorry Malfoy, no offense."

Scorpius smiled. "None taken. I never wanted to be there anyway."

Edward carried on. "We must apply everything that we could think up against these guys." He paused. "Listen you guys to the noise upstairs." They all listened and through the framework of the room, they could hear the shouts of 'Go, go Gryffindor! Go, go Gryffindor!" Scorpius grinned; it was good to hear his house cheering him on. "Hear that call," Edward spoke once more, "hear it and respond. Let's go!"

With a huge cheer, the team broke and collected their brooms from where they had hung them up on the hooks. Scorpius followed James out of the room and down a tunnel that he recognised. It was the same tunnel that he, Albus, Rose and the other Gryffindors had used to get to their first flying lesson. That seemed like such a long time ago. And now he was representing his house. If it was Slytherin, his father would be so proud and there in the stands. But it wasn't and Scorpius was glad of it. The sound of seven hundred or so spectators was now almost deafening. The commentator could now be heard naming the Slytherin team and Scorpius mounted his broom, ready to fly. Sure enough the shutter opened.

"And here's the Gryffindor team! Wood, Potter, Malfoy, Willow, Weasley, Sloper aaaaaand Potter!"

As their names were read out, the team kicked off and out into the stadium to huge cheers. As planned, they did a lap of the stadium as the Slytherins watched, already in position on the ground. Just in case, both Scorpius and Albus had their wands tucked into their robes. You could never tell with Slytherins these days. They landed and Professor McLaggen shook hands with Edward and Sarah Belby, the Slytherin captain. As obligatory, the two captains shook hands, clearly trying to crush the other captain's hand.

"Good luck Belby." Edward's smile was clearly fake as was his tone of his voice.

"The same to you Wood." Her smile was equally fixed.

As Connor Jordan, fourth year Hufflepuff and son of Lee, started to talk, the game kicked off. Professor McLaggen released the Snitch closely followed by the Bludgers. Knowing what was coming next; Scorpius tilted his broom forward and prepared to go. Professor McLaggen threw the Quaffle high in the air and as it fell, Scorpius raced and snatched it. It was on. Scorpius checked that James was near him as he ducked and dived. Having to make a few dangerous dives, Scorpius drew nearer to the goalpost. Arabella Flint, the Slytherin keeper, was looking as menacing as usual. Ignoring her large frame, he aimed for the left goalpost, threw as hard as he could, and YES!

"Malfoy scores! Ten points to Gryffindor!" Connor could not contain his excitement.

From his viewpoint, Albus was thoroughly enjoying the game that was unfolding before him. He kept circling the pitch and keeping out of harm's way as Edward had instructed him. He was also keeping an eye on the Slytherin seeker, who was staying near the ground of the pitch rather than being high in the air. Ten minutes later and Gryffindor was now in a comfortable lead that Edward was satisfactory with, 190 – 10. The Slytherin goal had been pure coincidence and no way down to the terrible performance of the opposing team. They really were a dreadful team. They were definitely more brawn and bulk than brains and…well another word beginning with b that described quick, Albus smiled.

Suddenly he saw a flash of gold near the ground. Trying to push the thought of the last he attempted a Wronski Feint on this broomstick out of his mind, Albus focused his eyes on the Snitch and leant forward on his broom. Faster and faster he went as the Snitch darted around a small corner of the pitch. With a mixture of screams of fear and joy threatening to burst his eardrums, Albus went faster. He could hear Adams who had been appointed the Slytherin seeker, cursing as he tried to make his broom match the speed of Albus' Nimbus. But it was to no avail. Albus reached out a hand and it closed around the Snitch. But before he could go up into the air to celebrate, there was a huge blow to his stomach and Albus was knocked off his broom and onto the pitch floor. There were cries of indignation from all around the stands as Albus rubbed his eyes, one hand still clasping the Snitch and tried to sit up. Adams was standing over him and as the students rushed onto the pitch. Adams knelt down and prised the Snitch from Albus' shaking hand and held it high aloft.

"Slytherin got the Snitch!" he shouted and everyone froze in horror.

"Don't be stupid Adams, I had it." Albus struggled to his feet, his stomach painful.

"No one can prove it." He hissed, standing face-to-face with Albus.

"Actually we can." Albus replied. He turned to Rose, who had come running as soon as he had caught the Snitch "Rose did you get it?"

"Yes Al."

Professor McLaggen came over. "What's the matter boys? Who got the Snitch?"

"I did." Hubert and Albus said at the same time.

Professor McLaggen looked very confused. "You cannot both have caught the Snitch. Which of you is lying?"

"He is." Both boys chimed.

Rose stepped forward with a pair of binoculars that Theodore had just handed her, his other hand draped around Eleanor Davies' shoulder, and they were both smiling. They had got together, finally, Rose thought. At least they were both happy about it. Theodore was fairly good-looking, though nothing on Albus or Scorpius.

"It was Potter, Professor. The binoculars can film a match at the normal speed, faster or slower. Albus wanted us to film him so he could see where he needed to improve." She fiddled with the dials and then handed the binoculars to Cormac, who watched it as she talked. "As you can see, Al gets the Snitch but just after you blow the whistle, this happens."

Cormac watched as Hubert prised the Snitch from Albus and held it aloft. "Bloody bastard." Theo's voice came from the binoculars.

"Sorry sir didn't realise that the sound was on as well." Theo mumbled and Albus laughed.

"I couldn't have put it a better way Mr Harrison." Cormac blew his whistle and made his voice louder. "Potter catches the Snitch, Gryffindor win 350 – 10! Ten points to Gryffindor for a foul on the seeker." He lowered his voice. "And Adams, I want you to go straight to Professor Scamander's office right now. I'll see you there."

There was much cheering and Albus and Scorpius hugged. Jubilant with their victory, Albus took the Snitch back from Adams, who slunk away towards the castle, and handed it back to Professor McLaggen. Students were beginning to leave and the Gryffindor team started to make their way back to the castle for a party in the common room. But before they could leave, Albus heard a shout from behind him.

"Al! Al!" Lily's voice came as she ran towards Albus.

"Lily! What are you doing here?" Albus cried as he picked her up and twirled her around in the air.

"You didn't think that we could come and see your first match after you tell us the date of it? We wouldn't have missed both our boys' first proper match." Ginny's amused voice came from behind Albus.

"Mum!" Albus greeted her and then turned to his father. "Hey Dad! Thanks for coming!"

"Not a problem son. Just to let you know, there's going to be a lecture on Monday."

"And you're giving it? Wicked." Albus grinned. He then dragged Scorpius forward. "Dad, this is Scorpius Malfoy, my fellow Quidditch player and my dorm-mate. Scorpius, this is my dad, Harry Potter."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Scorpius." Harry offered his hand.

"Likewise Mr Potter." Scorpius took it uncertainly.

Harry spotted someone out of the corner of his eyes, striding towards them. He turned quickly back to Albus. "Al, why don't you and James take Lily up to the Gryffindor common room? I want to have a word with young Malfoy and Oliver Wood. Scorpius can tell us the password."

Albus nodded, uncertain as to why. "Okay." He called over to Lily who was with James. "Come on you two; let's go up the common room! If we don't hurry up, all the food and drink will have gone."

Lily's face lit up. "The Gryffindor common room? A party?"

James rolled his eyes. "Well we wouldn't exactly be having a celebration party in the Slytherin common room, would we? It would be kind of rubbing it in their faces. Come on, let's go." James winked at Lily. "Race you there!"

Pulling a 'sorry – but – good – luck' face at Scorpius, Albus hurried after James and Lily who were already far ahead. Scorpius was confused. What did Mr Potter want with him? Harry waved to someone behind Scorpius, who turned and his stomach plummeted as his father came towards them, his mother behind Draco. Scorpius could sense that he was in trouble, something that Malfoy's seemed very good at. Preparing for the worst, Scorpius hung his head. He didn't really choose to do it; it was almost a reflex action. But his father didn't seem to be that angry.

"Harry." Draco nodded, a smile playing on his face.

"Good to see you again Draco. It's good to finally meet Scorpius."

Scorpius couldn't bear to not look at his father any more. "I'm sorry I never told you about being put into Gryffindor. I just guess that…" he trailed off, shying away from Draco slightly as if he was afraid of being attacked.

Draco took off his bag, opened it and took out a Gryffindor scarf. Scorpius was confused, why did his father have a Gryffindor scarf? He thought he was against everything to do with Gryffindor. He looked at it for a moment, and then wound it around his neck. "I might have to tint it green ever so slightly." He said with a smile. "I can't have my loyalties swayed that far. Your grandfather would definitely not approve." Scorpius was astounded. Was this really the father that he knew? Was the heartless brute who seemed to have such an impenetrable shell, actually holding a Gryffindor scarf and not tearing it to pieces? Maybe he does have a heart and kept it specially for something like this. Scorpius dismissed this immediately. Maybe he was just being polite. Scorpius couldn't quite place the why, but he was really touched by the fact that his father didn't seem angry and harsh about his sorting. His father 'was on the mend', Scorpius saw it. Maybe, with a little persuasion, he could come round. That would take a lot of persuasion, but Scorpius was a Gryffindor. He was brave and courageous as well as a loyal friend. That was exactly why he wasn't in Slytherin.

Scorpius smiled slightly. "At least for the matches, have it in full Gryffindor colours."

Draco looked at his son's small five foot one frame. "We are going to have to get you your own broom if you're on a Quidditch team."

"I can wait until Christmas father. Our next match isn't until the fifteenth January against Hufflepuff so I have ages. I don't mind using a school broom until then."

"Good." There was an awkward pause. "I have to get back to work." Draco placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Good job son, I'm proud of you."

Scorpius felt tears welling up in his eyes. "Thanks dad."

It looked as if they were going to hug, to reconcile all the times that Scorpius had thought his father was a heartless brute. But there was an awkward pause and then Draco walked off towards the exit of the pitch. Astoria gave Scorpius a fleeting hug and then followed her husband quickly. Harry put a hand on Scorpius' shoulder. Scorpius looked up at him. He wished he would have a father as nice and caring as Harry. Harry waved to Oliver Wood, his old Quidditch captain and then he, Ginny, Scorpius, Oliver and Edward made their way up to the old, familiar staircases that Harry knew and loved so well. Giving the password, Scorpius led the adults into the common room. Harry, Ginny and Oliver grinned. This was the state of the common room and the normal room that they loved. This was the common – room – post – Quidditch – win – party that they knew and loved. The room was raucous and Victoire was trying to exercise some control and get everyone's attention, but to no avail. Everyone was in a celebrating mood and wanted to get the party fully under way. She caught Harry's eye, and he drew his wand and made loud red sparks fly out of his wand. The room promptly fell silent.

"Thank you." Victoire breathed as she stood up and made her way onto the small stage that they had quickly constructed. "I think that the first thing to say, is WELL DONE GRYFFINDOR!" there were loud cheers and it was difficult for them to calm down again. "Once a Gryffindor, always a Gryffindor. Godric Gryffindor's protégées to the end, end, end as out Quidditch chant went last year" there were a few exchanged looks and nervous laughs. "To begin and kick off the festivities, I would like to invite up two past and equally successful Gryffindor Quidditch captains: Oliver Wood and Harry Potter!"

There were loud cheers and whooping as Harry and Oliver hastily climbed onto the little stage. The room fell silent as Harry started to speak. "This is the first Quidditch match that I have seen in a long time, too long that I care to mention the actual figure. Oliver was in fact one of my captains when I was lower down in the school, as was Angelina Johnson. Inspiration for a win as broad a gap as that, takes great skill, courage and speed. It is a true honour to be able to watch a new generation of Quidditch players rise up as I am no longer there. I have every confidence that Albus and James are receiving exactly the same training, or at least similar, and mental attitude as I did, to be under Oliver Wood Junior." Harry paused. "Oliver, do you want to say anything?" Oliver nodded and Harry stepped back as the 'audience' applauded enthusiastically.

"Harry, clearly you orate as well as you play seeker. It is a pleasure to be back and to witness yet another outstanding victory. It is almost embarrassing to admit that my team never quite managed the feat that you managed today. I'm very proud to have been a part of Gryffindor and its ever talented Quidditch team. Clearly like father, like sons and I am happy in the knowledge that there are so many talented players in here."

A window in the common room was open and suddenly a tawny owl flew in. several people by the window ducked as it flew over their heads and landed on Oliver's outstretched arm. Oliver was smiling and Harry had to calm quite a few people down who had been startled by the owl's arrival. Oliver opened the letter attached, scanned it and smiled.

"Wizards and witches! As I am sure you are aware, there have also been the International Games in preparation for the Quidditch World Cup next year. England were playing today against Romania." Everyone who was a major Quidditch follower drew breath. Romania was one of the toughest and most brutal teams when it came to Quidditch. They held the record for the most number of fouls committed in one game. Apparently all 723 rules were broken in the same game. "The final score: Romania 170, England 290!"

Cheers erupted and Harry didn't need to start the party as Fred opened a Butterbeer and sprayed it over everyone. Darren flicked his wand at the stereo and the Weird Sisters came blaring out.

Lily was the centre of attention of all the younger girls. She had firmly stuck with Rose and Lucy. A Butterbeer in her hand, her shyness disappeared and was happily taken on a tour of Gryffindor tower. It was better than James and Albus had described. The curtains around the beds were thick and felt silky beneath her fingers. The sub-section rooms had an aura of mystery but family at the same time. The views were something else though. Snow was on its way and Lily could imagine what the castle would be like then as she looked out of the second first year dormitory over the grounds past Hagrid's hut and over the Forbidden Forest. Why did it have to be another two years until she came here?

It was a good three hours until the party was over and they all made their way down to the Great Hall. The team still hadn't changed out of their robes and felt a little out of place next to the rest of the school back in their school robes. Harry, Ginny and Oliver declined sitting at the High Table, preferring to sit amongst the Gryffindors at their table and to sometimes wander over to make conversation with old friends of theirs.

At the end of the meal, Professor Scamander stood up and tapped her glass so the Hall fell silent. "So that you are all aware, on Monday during lessons three and four, there will be a Defence Against the Dark Arts lecture on the subject of Facing Dark Forces Not Just in the Classroom. This will be taken by an old and dear friend of mine and father at this school, Mr Harry Potter." There were huge cheers and applause from around the room, especially from James and Albus. Harry stood up and waved briefly. "He, his wife Ginny and younger daughter Lily will remain with us until Tuesday."

With that, the meal finished and there was a loud scraping sound of wood on flagstones as people got up from the tables and left the hall. Harry stood amongst the swarming students reminiscing of his days that were both beautiful and terrifying, within these walls and below them. Lily had gone off with the friends she had made. Ginny was now conversing with Luna. As he made his way over to Dean and Neville, Harry felt at home. Hogwarts had always been the home he had never had and would always be.


	14. Checkmate

**************A/N: I do not own any of the characters except for: all the first years bar Rose, Albus and Scorpius; Edward Wood, Holly Willow, Darren Sloper, Connor Jordan and any characters that you do not recognise. If you are not sure, then message me or leave me a review :) Also, so sorry for the late uploading. Hope you had a great Christmas and may 2012 be filled with Potterness and fun!**************

**Chapter 14**

With a respite for a couple of weeks from Quidditch, the Christmas holidays drew nearer. All Weasleys and Potters were going to Uncle George and Aunt Angelina's place that was big enough for all twenty four of them, as well as Scorpius and Harry Lupin, who Albus had invited and Teddy, who always came every year after lunch with his maternal grandmother Andromeda. With Hogwarts one of the safest places to be at this troubling time, many students were staying at Hogwarts over the holidays and so the family had the train largely to themselves.

Empty sweet wrappers and loose Exploding Snap cards adorned the seats as the eight friends and family took off their robes and returned into mufti for coming out of the barrier. Taking their suitcases out of the luggage compartment and at the signal of the guard, they went through barrier and out into the almost deserted platform between nine and ten. Only Harry, Ron and Angelina were there as Harry took Tonks and Gideon to relieve Albus and Rose slightly of their heavy load. When they reached the exterior of King's Cross, Harry stopped and everyone behind him.

"Where's the car dad?" Albus asked. The Potter's owned a caravan that had been transformed to fit as many family and friends as possible.

"We're apparating." Ron told his nephew. "We're not going to George and Angelina's. Charlie won the Daily Prophet Christmas Galleon Prize draw and bought a mansion by the sea for these kinds of purposes. It's in Norfolk and has pretty good views so I'm told."

Angelina was torn between a smile and a frown. "Warning guys, Charlie has a new girlfriend called Susannah so play nice, she was a Raven so she could duel you with her hands tied behind her back.

Harry turned to his eldest niece. "Victoire, can you apparate long distances?"

"It was part of the training and exam Uncle Harry." She smiled.

Harry considered this for a moment. "Okay, I'll take Al and Harry. Ron if you would take Rose and Scorpius?" Ron nodded. "Angelina would take James and Fred, Victoire you're in charge of your sister." They both nodded. "The address is Redwood Hall, Castor St Edmund. See you there in a moment."

Harry replaced Tonks and Gideon on Albus' and Rose's trolleys, and then took his younger son's hand. Albus gripped his father's hand with one hand and his trolley with the other. He concentrated with all his might on their destination and turned as the darkness crushed them…

'Zanna was nice, Rose decided as she slumped down in the compartment next to where the cousins were. This Christmas had been strange, different. For the first time for a long time, the beginning of Christmas was not as happy. For the first time since Rose was very young, there was Christmas without Louis. Everyone missed him and it was escalated by the fact that someone had foolishly bought a present for Louis and labelled it so that when they were being passed around, it was left and it was Hugo who discovered it. There was an uncomfortable pause before Fleur had burst into tears and Bill had escorted her out for a moment. It had been strange for Rose as well. She was so used to the great grandfather clock that hung in the kitchen. There were now twenty six hands. Grandma Weasley had refused to take down Fred's hand after the Battle of Hogwarts. Instead there was a new word where a number on a normal clock would be. It simply stated: Gone. Fred and Louis' clock hands now resided there and it was with a great sadness that Rose had first noticed this. No Christmas would ever be the same again. It was such a tradition for Louis to belt out his rude versions of every French and English Christmas Carol he knew and then say one carol from one language and then translate it into another. Dominique had tried this to keep up the tradition however she had not got passed the first verse of Silent Night, when she couldn't go on and Rose had had to get up and perform her new poem she had learnt, another Christmas tradition in the Weasley household.

Her mother had finally put an Extension Charm on her suitcase, so now she could have all her books and Christmas presents in her trunk. Every year Rose seemed to get the same: books, hand-knitted items of clothing and home-made food. This year had been different. Her mother had come into her room to kiss her goodnight, but she had brought with her a small package.

"Don't tell anyone I gave it to you. Use it only when you are in grave danger."

Now Rose opened the box for the first time. There were layers of tissue and underneath it all lay a necklace with golden bands weaving the chain. Attached to the necklace was her name in silver. It was the most beautiful piece of jewellery that Rose had ever seen. She made to put it on but she stopped as she noticed a note underneath it. The note was written in her mother's small but curvaceous handwriting: Rose, don't put the necklace on. This is something that I have been working on for a few years. It's called a Beauty Transformer. If you put it on, your magical ability will be transformed. You will be able to cast any spell, charm or curse, even one's that you haven't learned. There are some that you will be able to cast, that I hope you will never have to cast. I leave this in your care. No one can know its true potential, not even Albus. This necklace is the reason that Louis died. I'm sorry. The effect only lasts for half an hour but if it is worn for more than two hours, the effect is irreversible. When you get back to Hogwarts, look up transformers in the library. For a good read, I recommend the left corner of the library, by the Restricted Section; it's lovely and cosy. Keep it very safe. Never send a message with Gideon asking or talking about it. You'll learn soon enough. I love you, Mum.

Rose sat back. A Beauty Transformer? What on earth was that? She could see why it was so dangerous, but what did it have to do with Louis? She knew where her mother was talking about and totally agreed. Content with what she had found, she made her way back into the compartment were, to her disgust, the boys were discussing Quidditch. True the next match was only three weeks away and they were moaning about how much pressure Edward was going to put them under. What did they expect? Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch cup since 2003 when, well they didn't know anyone then. None of them had been born except Victoire who had been four. Ravenclaw and Slytherin had been battling out for it for those years. At the moment Slytherin held the trophy and Gryffindor were determined to win it back. At the insistence of her father, Rose duly supported the Chudley Cannons but, like her mother, didn't really have much interest. Rose took out her notebook, which she kept on her at all times and scribbled Beauty Transformer down in it. It was all very well, knowing it now. But what if she forgot when she got back to school?

The train pulled into Hogsmeade and the eight jumped out, dragging their luggage behind them. They were going up to the castle in carriages that were not drawn by anything, so it seemed. Harry was fascinated by the carriages. He went up to them and seemed to stroke the air, as if something was really there. Rose was confused. From what she had heard, nothing pulled the carriages. Not as far as any of the students knew. Harry turned and was surprised by the look on their faces.

"What?"

Scorpius was the first to recover. "Why are you stroking the air?"

"Can't you see it?"

"See what?"

"The thing that's pulling the carriages."

James shook his head. "Nothing's pulling the carriages Harry. Just like it has always been."

It was Harry who shook his head now. "No, no. there's definitely something pulling it." He looked at their faces. "I'm not going mad."

"He's not." A voice spoke from behind them. They all spun around to see Robert Dougal, the head boy standing behind them, a little way. "They're called Thestrals." Rose nodded, that made sense. The others looked just as confused. Robert turned to Harry. "Lupin, have you ever seen someone die?"

Albus winced visibly, that was a touchy subject where Harry was concerned. Harry nodded, unfazed. "Yeah, my mum went three years ago."

"I'm sorry. But that's the reason you can see the Thestrals. They can only be seen –"

"By people who have seen death." Rose and Robert finished together.

There was an awkward pause, so Harry spoke. "Can you see them Dougal?"

He nodded. "Yes. My father was killed in a Muggle duel with a guy called Richard Arkwright. The guy had turned up on the doorstep of our house. I recognised him; he'd been pestering Dad for a few months. They talked on the doorstep and there seemed to be an argument brewing up between them." He paused as they boarded the carriage with Harry, Albus, Scorpius, Rose and Dominique on one side and Robert, James, Fred and Victoire on the other side. The carriage set off and Robert started to talk again. "Richard Arkwright seemed to get more and angrier. Eventually he pulled out a knife and waved it in dad's face. Dad would have beaten him with his hands tied behind his back, being an ex-Ravenclaw. But he didn't. He didn't even flinch. The guy got even angrier and started to try and attack him. Dad tried to defend himself with no magic. It was as if he was trying to not use magic, I mean the guy was a Muggle. But the fight didn't last very long. The guy ran off as dad lay there. I saw it all from my bedroom window. I was twelve."

There was a silence the only noise was the wind rustling the leaves in the trees. The carriage carried on, its occupants squashed with all their luggage and animals. Robert had a beautiful snowy owl called Daphne and Gideon seemed to be taking a liking to her. The rest of the ten minute journey passed in silence. Robert leaned his head into his right hand, his right elbow resting on the front of the carriage. He hadn't told anyone he could see the Thestrals, he hadn't even told his mother. As far as she was concerned, he hadn't seen the attack. The death of his father haunted him every night. The sight of blood splattering the front steps of the house the morning after was vivid. His mother had tried to clean it up quickly. But Robert would always be able to smell the salty blood smell, see his father laid a pool of his blood. And he would have the face of his father's murderer etched into his memory forever. He hated the Thestrals. True they were fascinating, complicated creatures. But knowing the reason he could see them shed them in a new light. Every one of them reminded him of the person that was missing from his life. He had sworn to avenge his father's death. He hadn't known how to that night, but now he did, well that was a different matter altogether. Arkwright wasn't a very common name, even in the Muggle World. It hadn't taken Robert long to track him down. From CCTV cameras that Robert had hacked into using the computer he had smuggled into Hogwarts and now resided in his Head Boy suite, Robert could track Arkwright's progress. He hadn't expected what he had found. But it had made him all the more determined to rid the world of him.

Back at school, the students made their way back up to the various common rooms and dormitories. Now allowed to use magic once more, they found it a lot easier to manoeuvre their luggage up the stairs to the dormitories. Bursting into their room, Albus, Harry and Scorpius piled their suitcases onto their beds and raced back down to the common room, which was bursting. With another day until term began, no one was doing homework or revising, except the odd seventh year who had early exams. Scorpius dragged Albs over to the chess set and they started another game of chess. With something interesting finally going on that day, most of the house crowded round the table. The pieces soon seemed very confused. Both boys had received chessmen for Christmas, Albus from James and Scorpius from his younger sister by three years, Vulpecula. With all the noise, the chessmen couldn't understand what Albus and Scorpius were trying to say. Eventually Albus whipped out his wand.

Sending out red sparks from his wand, Albus had the room silent in seconds. "Please, if you are going to watch the game, do so quietly. We can't hear ourselves think, let alone work out our moves."

There was a general assent and it was now Albus' turn to move Scorpius was now leading 2 – 1 in their continuous championship of wizard chess between them. Scorpius was easily the best chess player in the first three years at Hogwarts while Albus was second best in the year behind him. Scorpius was quick-witted and sharp. His reflexes were quick and swift and his eyes didn't miss a thing. That's what made him such a difficult opponent. Albus had only won his match by a single mistake Scorpius had made in their last match. He had never let Scorpius forget it either. Gobstones and Exploding Snape were his forte. He was easily the best first year Gryffindor and was due to play the Slytherin champion, Miriam Holden, after their first lesson, double Charms on Monday afternoon. Apart from Quidditch, Gobstones was the main source of rivalry between the four houses. This year, Professor Scamander had introduced an inter-house Gobstones tournament. Albus was the hot favourite amongst the Gryffindors to win the lower school (first to third year) trophy. He had aim, accuracy and a keen eye. Not the qualities needed for a great chess player but certainly for a great Gobstones player. It was interesting, Albus wondered as he tried to work out his next move. Scorpius had all the skills for chess that he would have needed to be a seeker. Albus had all the skills for Gobstones that he would have needed for a chaser. Why was it then that they were the other way round?

But as Albus took his mind off Gobstones and put it back on the game, he noticed something Scorpius hadn't. In the midst of trying to claim as many of Albus' pieces and getting his back, he had left his king dangerously unprotected. Albus did some quick calculations, all involving the factor that Scorpius wouldn't realise his fatal mistake until it was too late. Luck seemed to be on Albus' side. It wasn't hard, from there, to trick Scorpius into the classic checkmate trick. Scorpius groaned as he spotted his mistake. But in good sportsman style, Scorpius steadily played a now unwinnable (for him) game. How could he have been so stupid as to not see that coming? Albus delivered the 'killer blow', the move that meant Scorpius had lost.

"Checkmate." Albus whispered as the room erupted in cheers. Albus and Scorpius' matches had always been deliberately public and the last match between them in this five-game set was going to be very tense.

"Good game Albus." Scorpius shook hands with Albus.

"You let your guard down Scorpius." Albus pointed to his eyes. "Seeker eyes, I notice everyone and everything."

"Alright," Scorpius wanted to test out Albus' claim, "who's behind you?"

"James." Albus replied without hesitation.

Scorpius raised his eyebrows. "That's impressive. How did you know that?"

Albus grimaced. "Because no other person in Gryffindor would be deliberately blowing in my ears and be pushing their hand down on my head to try and make me shrink."

"Someday I hope to succeed. You get taller every time I see you." James was grinning.

"Yeah right."

James ruffled his younger brother's hair half-affectionately, half cheekily, expecting a reaction. "Good to see you putting your Christmas present to use. Well done little bro."

Not wanting to blush in front of his brother, Albus scanned the room and spotted Theodore in the corner, looking a bit miserable. Dragging Scorpius, Albus made his way over to greet his fourth dorm-mate. Theodore had spent Christmas at school, despite Albus' invitation to Redwood Hall. Albus couldn't understand why he had declined, but Harry thought he understood. Harry, Albus and Scorpius had become really close since the beginning of the last term. With family links through Harry and deliberate best – friendship to spite their parents with Scorpius, Albus seemed to have his closest friends and Theodore sometimes felt a little left out. Sure he had Eleanor and he had found a friendship in Christopher Chuck, a boy in the other dormitory. He had always liked Harry; the boy was warm and sincere. Maybe, with a little more effort, Theodore would finally fit in.


	15. I Know Your Secret

**********A/N: I do not own any of the characters except for: all the first years bar Rose, Albus and Scorpius; Edward Wood, Holly Willow, Darren Sloper, Connor Jordan and any characters that you do not recognise. If you are not sure, then message me or leave me a review :)**********

**Chapter 15**

Albus had won his Gobstones match against Miriam Holden; Scorpius had won the final match between the two boys in their championship. Both boys were ow progressing to play the second – year champions. Sport was just an event that you simply gained pleasure and sweat out of, Rose thought as she wandered through the library. Reading, on the other hand, was a peaceful and relaxing activity. You could curl up with a novel or even a textbook in a corner with a mug of hot chocolate and be lost within minutes. There was something magical about a book, it was a magic that couldn't be produced by waving a wand or stirring things in a cauldron. It was the beauty and magic of language, from whichever country it may be. Today, Rose had two missions in the library. She never came into the library aimlessly. There had to be a purpose and meaning to everything that Rose did. Otherwise what was the point to what she did? She had finished reading 'The Rise, fall and Aftermath of Lord Voldemort' for the third time that morning. She loved the way the story was presented. The whole events and idea of what happened was horrific but it was beautifully told. She and Lucy had read the last paragraph that morning to Danielle and Elizabeth who had no interest in reading it, but after much persuasion and talking, had agreed to listen to it.

"'June 1995, July 1996, July 1997, May 1998. In the minds and memories of all who were there, these dates will remain forever. Though peace and harmony now is found throughout the magical world, no one can erase such painful memories as these. The events can only now highlight the importance in the Ministry of Magic and the assurance that no longer do we mourn the loss of loved ones, but celebrate the fact that they died for a reason and we cannot and should not mar that fact. As Albus Dumbledore once said in 1992: 'it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.' ' "

Rose would always remember that quote. Professor Dumbledore had sounded like a great man. He had after all, according to her parents, been known as the greatest wizard who ever lived. Despite dying some twenty years ago, Rose's parents still referred to him as 'Professor'. So often did they do this that Rose and Hugo had also taken to calling him Professor Dumbledore. Rose handed back the library book to Madam Pince and started to wander through the room again. Transformers didn't seem to be that kind of dark magic, dark enough to be placed in the Restricted Section. She didn't dare to ask any of the Professors; it might appear to be suspicious, even if they turned out to be harmless. Then again, they weren't exactly Disarming spells. Choosing an aisle blindly, Rose looked up at the books above her. They reached at least eight feet, spines of all different colours and decorations. Grabbing the stool that stood nearby, Rose climbed up and started scanning the shelves. The titles were in order of author's surname. That wasn't going to be helpful if all she had was the name of the topic she was looking out for. She had chosen the authors beginning with C. a lot of the books were about trivial things such as 'Plants of the Highland Lochs' and other things that people generally didn't need to know about. Even Rose, who relished any chance to read any book, had to admit some of the book titles she saw were containing completely useless information. Sometimes you have to distinguish between books that contain useful information, and are worth publishing, and those that do not are clearly not worth it.

An hour later and Rose still hadn't found anything. She pulled out yet another book, ready to be disappointed. Flicking to the index of 'Where Magic Exists and doesn't in the World' by Alastair Forte, she skimmed her finger through the letters and words that blurred in front of her face: P, Q, R, S, T, Th, Ti, Tr, Transformers! Finally, Rose thought, thank you Mr Forte. Rose replaced the stool and settled down in her favourite spot. With lessons over for that still cold Wednesday in February and dinner then Astronomy not for another two and six hour, Rose had plenty of time. Flicking to the mentioned pages, Rose began to read to herself.

'If any magic was to be so falsely predicted, it would be a Transformer. Rated XXXXXX by the Ministry of Magic, Transformers fall into three categories. 1. Potent Transformers. These are the mildest form of Transformers. When worn or held, Potent Transformers allows the bearer to cast any spell of their age range. The Transformer reads the age of the bearer and calculates which spells are permitted. They were not permanent, for however long they are worn or held. 2. Bubble Transformers. These are also fairly mild and similar to the Potent Transformers. However they allow the bearer to be able to brew any potions of any ability except for those which can fatally harm or kill the consumer of the potion. If the Transformer is held for more than 24 hours, the change is irreversible; however the bearer may learn to brew potions that were initially unable to brew, when the bearer learns them. 3. Beauty Transformer. These are the deadliest form of Transformers. When held, a Beauty Transformer allows the bearer to cast any spell, inclusive of those unlearned and to brew any potion inclusive of those unlearned. If held for over two hours, the change is irreversible. They are the hardest to locate and they are in very short supply. It is thought that as of 1st November 2017, there are only two in existence. Many people try to recreate them as they are seen as highly valuable and few know of its harm and potential danger. Those who are in possession of these Beauty Transformers should keep them a secret as even Muggles have a vague idea that such things may exist.'

That was where the section on Transformers ended. Rose closed the book. What was the point in reading that? She knew most of those facts already. Rose opened her bag and took out the box which contained the Transformer. This was one of two in the entire world. Wow. How much trust did Hermione have for her daughter? How much trust did Rose have in herself? Rose looked at the last sentence again. _'Those who are in possession of these Beauty Transformers should keep them a secret as even Muggles have a vague idea that such things may exist.' _They sure as hell do exist, Rose thought. There was something wrong about the sentence, something that didn't quite add up. The magical world had been kept a secret from Muggles for as long as anyone could remember. Any Muggles that had come across magical always had their memories wiped unless they were married to a witch or a wizard. Rose wasn't sure about the exact laws concerning Muggles knowing about magic, but she had a basic idea and that was all she needed at the moment. Frowning in concentration, Rose replaced the book. Thinking again, she shook her head, took the book back out and took it over to Madam Pince.

Leaving the library with the book in her bag, Rose checked her watch, 45 minutes until supper. Walking around the castle didn't have very much point to it and you spent hardly any time doing it. Rose felt her family Galleon heat up and she took it out. It was from Albus. Rose sighed. Most messages from Albus these days had something do with homework of some sort. Against her better judgement, Rose checked it: ROSE! You need to get yourself to the Gryffindor tower right now. Emergency Weasley/Potter meeting in the Potter sub-sec room, A.

Rose started to run. The library was on the fourth floor and Gryffindor tower was on the seventh. Finding the main staircase, she took the stairs two at a time. Her bag bashed against her leg hard but she ignored the growing pan. What could Albus want? Why was there an emergency family meeting? Reaching the Fat Lady, she panted the password, clambered through the portrait hole and into the common room. It was ear-splittingly loud after the quite of the library. Rose had to fight her way through the throng of older students doing homework and chatting. Racing up past her dormitory, she reached the Potter sub-sec room and burst in. All the Potter and Weasley children were there plus Scorpius and Harry. Rose had seen Theodore in the common room but hadn't paid a moment's thought as to why he had been sitting alone. As she stood there, the chatter stopped and they all looked at her. They all looked worried but relaxed slightly as they saw who it was.

"What the hell is going on?" Rose demanded.

"Where have you been?" Albus retorted.

"The library, where else? I came as soon as I got your message. It is four floors practically." Rose raised her eyebrow in a challenge. "Why the meeting?"

"Have you seen today's Daily Prophet?" Fred's voice came from somewhere.

"No, the post doesn't arrive until dinner."

Victoire held Gideon on her arm and Rose took him gratefully. "Gideon arrived five minutes ago with today's edition."

"But I didn't send him anywhere. Who sent him?"

"I think it was Aunt Hermione."

"But why?"

Rose made her way to the platform where the Daily Prophet was lying there. A letter lay on top but Rose could see the title: I KNOW YOUR SECRET! You didn't need good eyesight to see the title. "But why send it to me?" Rose whispered horrified. Someone knew about the magical world. There was something about the word secret that pierced her heart.

"We didn't dare read the article until you got here. What does it mean Rose?" Scorpius put a hand on her shoulder.

Fearfully and suspecting what the article might contain, Rose picked up the newspaper. Waving her wand, Victoire produced several bean bags and chairs and they all sat down. Everyone was looking at Rose, waiting for the article and hoping for an explanation. Clearing her throat nervously, Rose began to read to the assembled group.

"'It has been announced that yet another Muggle is proving a threat to the magical world, following their discovery. However, unlike previous Muggle encounters, such as the 1994 Quidditch World Cup where magic was stumbled upon, this Muggle has been preparing for his announcement of his findings to the magical and Muggle world for quite some time. Richard Arkwright, who lives in Cokeworth in Surrey, with his wife the celebrated alchemist Matilda Keyes and his son Herbert, who is currently in attendance at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,'" Rose looked up from the newspaper, her expression mirroring all the three first year boys faces.

"You don't think –" Scorpius couldn't finish the sentence.

"That little twerp in Slytherin who bugs you?" James and Fred said together.

"But Adams is a Slytherin. Slytherin is the house for purebloods."

Rose shook her head but it was Dominique who answered. "Not always. Voldemort was a half-blood as was Severus Snape. It's just Muggle borns who are never admitted to Slytherin. Keep reading Rose, I want to know who this Arkwright guy is."

Rose carried on but she was thinking. Where did she recognise the name Arkwright from? "Was only made aware of the magical world when he and Matilda were married, shortly after she graduated Hogwarts in 2001. Arkwright has been eager to learn the secrets of our world and he has already made his mark. With a Muggle criminal record on several different charges, he has freely admitted to the murders of Eileen and Tobias Snape and, years ago, of James Dougal." Again Rose paused. "That's where I recognised the name from! Robert mentioned him when he was talking about his father's murder."

"Do you think he knows?" Dominique piped up.

"There's only one way of finding out." Victoire stood up from her bean bag, drawing her wand. "Expecto Patronum." The poodle burst forth from her wand and she tried to speak calmly to it. "Robbie, have you seen today's Daily Prophet? If not, come to the Gryffindor tower entrance on the seventh floor."

The poodle ran towards the door and vanished. Victoire collapsed back down into her bean bag. James considered cracking a joke about how Victoire had called Robert Dougal 'Robbie' but decided not to, and an awkward silence followed. To try and diffuse the tension, Rose picked up the newspaper she had dropped and continued reading.

"From an early age, Arkwright sensed that there was more to the world than he knew. Since discovering his wife's secret, he has been using his influence in the Muggle world to find a way to obtain magical powers for himself. In the Muggle world, Arkwright is also a well-known journalist and is now threatening to expose the magical world to all Muggles unless he is shown the secrets of the magical world. Having obtained a wand from Ollivander's shop four years ago, it is believed that," there the article ended. Rose was about to turn the page when a crow flew in through the door and landed on the floor. Opening its beak, Robert's voice came out.

"I'm outside the tower now. Is everything alright?"

There was a silence as the Patronus dissolved into the air. Without a word, Victoire stood up and left the room. There was another uncomfortable silence. None of them could predict what Robert would say. Fred drew up another bean bag and Rose made a mental note to ask him how to do that later. This wasn't the right place or time. The door opened and Victoire walked in, closely followed by a very worried-looking Robert. He looked from face to face, each as impassive as the next. Rose had the Daily Prophet on her lap and she stood up unsteady, unsure of what she was doing or why, walked over to Robert and handed him the paper. Not wanting to see his expression, Rose quickly walked back to her place and sat down.

The first thing that Robert saw was the title. So? Another Muggle knew big deal. He scanned through the article and his eyes opened wide in horror, shock and confusion. According to the footage, Arkwright was planning another attack. He wasn't supposed to announce his findings, well, ever. A son at Hogwarts? Robert read to the end of the page and was about to turn the page when Victoire spoke gently.

"We haven't read past there Robert. We wanted to wait for you." Victoire turned to Rose. "Do you want to continue reading?"

"I don't mind, I'm happy to."

Robert handed Rose the newspaper and collapsed into the bean bag, letting it sag gently underneath him. Rose returned to her spot, turned the page and continued to read, "He has trying to channel his magical knowledge and control to a degree of some magic through the wand but to no avail. Any wand maker would know the laws of wand magic are very complicated however these laws would help to no avail. Ever since Mr Arkwright has been trying to obtain our magical powers, he has been trying to finding out more about the laws and how people have come across it, even managing to break into Gringotts and into vault 711 belonging to the late Sirius Black. Arkwright is a threat to both the magical and Muggle world and any sightings should be reported to the Ministry of Magic immediately. It is believed that his latest," his next words got stuck in Rose's throat. No. he can't – no!

"What is it Rose?" James asked.

"What is it?" Scorpius got up and came over to Rose who had frozen to the spot. He looked over Rose's shoulder at where she had been reading and then took a step backwards.

"Don't scare us Rose, what is it?" Albus demanded.

Rose took a deep breath and read the rest of the sentence. "It is believed that his latest known attack was on the Beauxbatons Academy in November of last year."

There was a deathly silence. It had to be the longest silence Rose had ever experienced. Everyone was staring at her in shock, disbelief and anger. "what?" Victoire's voice was like Albus had never heard. Victoire was such a gentle girl and now she sounded like a tyrant. "Rose what?" Rose looked at the furious head girl and took a step back. She had never seen Victoire this…this rattled. Shaking with fear, Rose thrust the newspaper at Victoire and scuttled back to her place. Victoire picked up the newspaper. How, she thought? Why? Just when she thought she had recovered from Louis' death, it strikes again like a snake strikes a heel.

"Continue." Victoire held the newspaper out to Rose who took it, her voice hoarse and hollow.

"Killing seven students, including Louis Weasley, youngest son of the famous Gringotts code-breaker William Weasley, and creating general panic, it is unknown why he targeted the magical castle which is believed to be over 2000 years old. It is suspected that it is linked to his motives to gain magical powers but it is unknown what this link may be. The Department for Magical Law Enforcement and all Aurors are now working around the clock to ensure Arkwright is captured and brought to justice." Rose looked up from the newspaper. "That's where the article ends. What's the matter Dougal?" Rose had turned to Robert who was shaking his head.

"It doesn't make sense."

There were looks of confusion passed between several people. "What do you mean it doesn't make sense? What doesn't make sense?" asked James curiously.

Robert stood up and started to talk. He talked about his father's murder again. He talked about his CCTV footage and what he had discovered. He talked about what Arkwright had been doing before he was called here.

"Arkwright has been planning something for weeks. It wasn't or didn't look like an announcement. It looked more like another attack."

"Where?" all the normal cheeriness in Fred's voice had gone.

Robert shrugged. "I've no idea. That's what worries me. I've only seen him look at maps but I've never managed to get close enough to see where it is."

"You don't think it could be Hogwarts do you?" Rose asked.

"And risk killing his own song? No one could be that cruel." Albus sneered.

"You never know!" Rose shot back defensively. "By the sound of it, he probably would be willing."

"Have you managed to locate where he is?" Dominique's voice piped up.

"I was nearly there when you called me. He's definitely in the south of England, that's for sure."

"Shouldn't we alert someone? Anyone?" Harry asked.

There was a pause for a moment then chatter broke out. Who should be contacted if anyone? Did we have any evidence? Rose thought long and hard. It would take a few hours to get an owl to any of her family. It was crucial to act as soon as it was possible.

"Luna." She thought aloud and everyone looked at her. "Professor Scamander I mean. She could contact everyone really quickly."

"Or we could just send Speakers to everyone." Victoire smiled.

"I have everything he's been doing since my third year on tape." Robert said. "It wouldn't take long to get them. There are quite a few though."

"How is your Patronus coming on Rose?" Victoire nodded to Robert and turned to Rose.

Rose took out her wand. In all honesty, she was yet to produce a corporeal Patronus but she was going to try anyway. She let her happy thought fill her up. The first time she held her very own wand in her hand and cast her first spell. She let that euphoria and elation fill her as she whispered:

"Expecto Patronum." To her delight more than a whisp of thin smoke came out from the end of her wand. It bounded out her of her wand and onto the floor, an otter like her mother. There was a very loud round of applause and Albus hugged her.

"You did it Rose!"

"Thanks Al." as she lost concentration, the otter disappeared but she didn't care. She had done it! A 12 year old had cast a corporeal Patronus.

Victoire turned to Al. "how is your one coming on?"

Robert put his hands up. "Wait, you've been teaching first years to cast a full-bodied Patronus?"

Victoire shrugged. "It's not illegal and these two are smart. Albus?"

Albus took a deep breath and drew his wand. Like Rose, he let his happy memory engulf him. He was on the stool in the Great Hall and the hat was telling him he wasn't the right material for Slytherin and that he truly belonged in Gryffindor. He let the joy; comfort and satisfaction in the knowledge of never having to set foot in the Slytherin common room, sleeping in beds surrounded by green hangings engulf him.

"Expecto Patronum!" he cried. To his joy and surprise, something came flying out of his wand and made a circle of the room before settling on the floor. It was a phoenix. There was a stunned silence and Albus grinned wider. His Patronus somehow seemed more solid than Rose's and he was proud that his Patronus was exactly as his namesake.

Victoire took a look at Albus' Patronus and took charge. "Alright, well done you two. I don't think you're quite ready for Speakers yet. Robert, can you go and get the tapes with the first years?" the five nodded. "the rest of us need to send Speakers to the right people: Bill, Fleur, Charlie and 'Zanna if possible, not necessary though, Percy, Audrey, George, Angelina, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Teddy, Seamus and anyone else who might be useful. If you guys go now, we'll meet you outside Professor Scamander's office in ten minutes. Pick up Harrison on your way, he's a bright lad." She called after their retreating backs.

**A/N: what do you think? Please review, I really appreciate them. review= happy author = more chapters!**


	16. Decisions and Letters

************A/N: I do not own any of the characters except for: all the first years bar Rose, Albus and Scorpius; Edward Wood, Holly Willow, Darren Sloper, Connor Jordan and any characters that you do not recognise. If you are not sure, then message me or leave me a review. If you are on story alert, I do mention earlier that Lily is a werewolf, so if you are surprised, re-read chapter 5, I made some amendments about a month ago :)************

**Chapter 16**

'It is on fairly frequent occasions that one of the most unknown and forgotten rules of Quidditch are broken. By those who have studied the rules of Quidditch, it is known that in a professional league game of Quidditch, if a Bludger comes in contact with a player, having been sent by an opposing team member, above the shoulder where the bones are most fragile, the injured player's team automatically gains 40 points and is awarded a penalty. Introduced in 1643 after a string of brain injuries and some life-threatening damage, the rule was invented. It was received gladly at the time however over the years it has been slowly forgotten. So the next time you are in a match and rule 345 is broken, make sure the referee is made aware the rule has been broken and you are awarded the correct due.'

Ginny Potter finished writing and put her quill down. Her latest column on useless facts about Quidditch was fairly controversial. Of all 700 rules of Quidditch, only 520 were remembered on a regular basis. Ginny got up from where she was writing in her study and went into the kitchen. It was three days until the full moon and Lily needed her Wolfsbane Potion, kindly provided by St Mungo's every month as neither Harry nor Ginny were expert potioneers. For any mother in her situation, it was heart-breaking. The Whomping Willow in their garden was ugly and brutal. Lily had once tried to describe her transformation down beneath the tree but hadn't got very far. Now every time Ginny even glanced at the tree, she was reminded of what Lily was scarred with for life. The thought of her own daughter being able to turn on her and not recognise her own flesh and blood was too much to handle. Harry walked in to see his wife slumped at the kitchen table. He took one look at her and sighed.

"You're thinking about Lily again, aren't you?"

Ginny nodded. "The idea of so much pain…"

Harry rolled his eyes; they had been through this so many times before. "The whole point of the Wolfsbane Potion is that it reduces the pain."

"But it doesn't, does it? My little girl still turns into a monster every full moon."

Harry couldn't answer that statement. It killed him inside too, though he didn't like to admit it. He stared at the table as if waiting for something and sure enough, a smoking goblet appeared on the table. Harry looked from his wife to the goblet and back at his wife again. He sighed and picked up the goblet. He knew exactly where he would find his daughter at this time of day. Harry had ensured that his children could fly fairly well by the time they were six. Being the offspring of Gryffindor's finest seeker and a professional Quidditch player, it came as no surprise that all three were natural fliers. Harry stepped outside the back door and into the garden of 12 Grimmauld Place. It was a long and narrow garden with flowers of many colours, trying to cover the Whomping Willow which, despite all efforts, was still what drew any viewer's eye. It was still at the moment and the lack of swaying branches revealed the hole by one of its roots which led down a passage in which Lily could transform once a month. He whistled loudly and soon he could see his daughter, with bright Weasley and Evans hair, flying around. Even from the ground, Harry could see her. He whistled again and waved a piece of parchment with his other hand. The letter was addressed to him but he knew Lily would be keen to know as well.

100ft in the air, Lily heard her father's whistle and ignored it. Being a werewolf did have its ups as you have super senses, she thought. Lily could tell that the whistle was from her father but felt rebel-like today. She knew it was three days until the full moon and it was the time of the month when she was at her weakest, prone to falling prey to others. She heard her father's second whistle and turned to look at him. In his hand was a letter that could only be from one person for Harry to be giving to her. Despite their 11 year age difference, Teddy and Lily had always been close. He was her third older brother and confidante. She was the sister he never had. Tilting her father's Firebolt downwards, she streaked towards the ground. The full moon also brought out her daring and dare-devil streak in her which she predominantly gained from her grandfather, James Potter. She saw her father half-glare and half-burst with pride as she slowed down and came to a halt beside him. As she clambered off the broom, her father raised his eyebrows.

"What have I told you about 100ft dives at this time of the month?"

Lily pulled a face. "I'm alright daddy. Is the letter from Teddy?"

Harry was still getting used to his daughter's super senses. "This first." He held out the smoking goblet and Lily took it, rolling her eyes. She drained it in one, shuddering as the potion slid down her throat and into her system. "Gross?" Harry asked.

"Disgusting." Lily agreed. She held her hand for the letter and Harry gave it to her smiling.

Lily quickly took out the letter and scanned through it quickly. Her eyes opened wide in joy and surprise. She handed the letter back to her smiling father and ran around, shouting joyously. "Uncle Bill is the best! Teddy is the best! Whoop! Yay!"

"I believe Teddy will want you to be one of the bridesmaids if she says yes." Harry's grin grew wider and Lily stopped.

"Really?"

"Really."

Lily ran into her father's arms and he twirled his overjoyed daughter around. Harry was mid-twirl when Ginny came out and smiled fondly at her daughter and husband. She remembered the joy she had felt the first time she was a bridesmaid, at Bill's wedding, nearly twenty years ago. Such a beautiful event with such horrific consequences and ending and an even worse year was to come. She had lost … no, now was not the time for mourning. She laughed as Lily jumped out her father's arms. It was moments like this when she forgot the past and allowed herself to be immersed in the present. She lived in a world she could only have dreamt about when she was Lily's age. 25 years ago seemed an awfully long ago. This bliss carried on and was only interrupted by Ginny spotting something in the sky hurtling towards them. It was a bright light gaining speed and it whizzed towards the ground. As soon as the light touched the ground, Harry and Ginny watched, their wands already drawn as the light formed itself into a stag. Harry sighed a sigh of relief but did not drop his wand, it was James. The stag opened its mouth and began to speak urgently.

"Dad and mum, we need to talk quickly. We have information on Richard Arkwright; Hermione sent a copy of the Daily Prophet to Rose earlier. She knows why but won't tell us. We need you to come to Hogwarts as soon as possible. Luna is retracting the Apparition charm from 5.45 to 5.55pm only, tonight. Grab Teddy and Lily and get here as soon as you can. We need to talk about Arkwright. Lily will be safe here. Everyone in the family and necessary friends, aside from Teddy, has been informed so don't bother telling them. We think action needs to be taken immediately, and you will see why. I love you, James."

There was a silence. Harry and Ginny stood in confusion at the spot where the Patronus had just stood. Harry checked his watch, the same he had received on his 17th birthday, and it was 5.35pm. They had ten minutes to get everything ready. Harry could immediately sense danger coming. It was a good trait to have as an Auror but was unfortunate when it was something as serious as this. After a brief discussion with Ginny, the trio dashed back into the house. Hogwarts was the safest place in the world except Gringotts and Grimmauld Place was certainly neither of those. Harry ran upstairs and grabbed his invisibility cloak and the Marauders' Map. He hadn't used it for years but he never knew when it might come in handy. Ginny was helping Lily pack a rucksack. Everything she might need including clothes for the transformation was packed. Harry knew all too well that there was a Whomping Willow at Hogwarts; Mr Weasley's car had never been retrieved since. Lily's uncontrollable magic was quite extensive but even so, as a fretting mother should, Ginny packed things for all emergencies. It was really very handy that Lily could withstand the weight of an Undetectable Extension Charm.

At 5.46pm, the trio met outside in the garden again. There was a popping sound and Teddy appeared, his hair now chocolate brown, the colour it was when he was thinking deeply about something. Teddy and Lily hugged briefly as she thanked him for asking her to be a bridesmaid, before they apparated (Lily with her father) straight in front of Luna's office. The gargoyles that once stood flanking the entrance had been replaced but it still took Harry, who was used to Dumbledore's queer passwords, several attempts before saying the first word that came into his head when he thought of Luna, Nargles. Lily stared in awe as they raced up the moving staircase and burst into the room. There were an awful lot of people in the room. Not to mention 20 out of the 25 members of the Weasley and Potter clan, there were some people Harry hadn't seen for quite a few years. All of Albus and Rose's first year friends, including the daughters of Harry's roommates Seamus and Neville were there which confused Harry. They were young; they couldn't be involved in something as dangerous as this. Seamus looked at least five years older than their last meeting. He worked in the Department for International Magical Co-operation, overseas in Ireland which meant his accent was as thick as ever. A few people arrived over the next few minutes and when Luna was satisfied that everyone was here, she began to talk.

"Ladies and gentlemen, friends, family, students and future students." at this Luna winked at where the younger Weasleys and Potters stood in a huddle together, Lily and Hugo beamed back at her. "As I am sure you will have been informed, the Muggle Richard Arkwright is threatening to expose the magical world to the Muggles unless he is shown the method of obtaining magic for himself. Having spoken to Hermione, I mean Mrs Weasley; I surmise that the item he is truly seeking is a Beauty Transformer." This had an immediate effect. Those who understood this term gasped and Rose had to sit down. Those who didn't were looking, confused, at the other's reactions and Albus and Scorpius went to check on their best friend who was being tended to by Hermione. "For those who do not know what a Beauty Transformer is, I have information for you. But please, first eat with us. Food is being served in less than five minutes and it will be easy to convince the students that Aurors are here to observe the workings of Hogwarts." Harry nodded; it was the best excuse he would have been able to come up with.

However before he could point out the one major flaw in this plan, Luna flicked her wand and the door opened. The large group made their way down the stairs, Lily clutching her father's hand. She didn't quite fully understand the situation and she was slightly intimidated as the baby of the family. Even Hugo and Roxanne, Fred's sister, were a few months older than her. Harry, sensing his daughter's distress, squeezed her hand comfortingly. But before they could reach the Great Hall, Luna took them to a side chamber that Harry had never seen before. It was a small room that was clearly lost property. It had a collection of Hogwarts robes and uniforms of all different sizes.

"now the one flaw in our plan is that I am sure some curious students would want to know why there are five under 11 year olds also here so I suggest that you find some robes and school uniform that fits you and there is a box of ties. Our older students, I am sure can introduce you to a trustworthy student in your year in whichever house your tie is. Unfortunately they aren't all Gryffindor ties. So, why don't you have a look?"

Lily let go of her father's hand and raced up and down the rows, looking for some clothes that might fit her. Some of them were clearly quite old and it took a good ten minutes for Lily to find all that she needed. She stuffed her home clothes into her rucksack and raced back to where she remembered seeing a box of ties. She found the box but it was empty except for one solitary tie that was black and yellow, the colours of Hufflepuff. She let her father do her tie and she smiled. She didn't care which house she had been given a tie for as long as it hadn't been for Slytherin. It was a glorious but strange feeling to finally be in Hogwarts robes. She looked at her other under 11 year old cousins. She was the only one in Hufflepuff tie; Roxy had a Ravenclaw tie and Molly, Lucy and Hugo all had Gryffindor ties on. Albus grabbed Lily's hand as Luna, satisfied, led the way into the Great Hall. As she went into the Great Hall, Lily's eyes were immediately drawn to the ceiling. The sun was now setting and, in accordance with outside, the ceiling was a blend of pinks, oranges and various shades of blue. The Hufflepuff table was on the right side of the hall, between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Albus paused and his eyes scanned table before guiding Lily over to where a girl with blonde curls that fell down past her waist. Lily stood shyly as Albus tapped the girl on the shoulder. She turned around sharply but smiled when she saw who it was behind her.

"Hey Albus."

"Hey Bethany, this is Lily, my little sister. There's been some trouble in London and Lily's here for a day or two. Her cousins are here too but we didn't want to have an overload of new Gryffindors so can you make sure he is accepted in as a new first Puff?"

"Sure."

"Would you mind awfully taking her up to by Professor Scamander's office afterwards as well? I can explain later. Oh wait, Lily this is Bethany MacMillan."

Lily was suddenly very shy but Bethany smiled warmly. "Absolutely. Come and sit down Lily and I'll introduce you to Zara and Connor."

"I'll see you later Lils."

Lily watched her brother give her a smile and make his way over to the Gryffindor table. Roxy was also now seated with the first year Ravenclaws. Lily was tall for her age and she was easily disguised by the other first years. She ate happily made conversation with Bethany and her friends from Hufflepuff. She had thought that Gryffindor was the only house worth going to and the house for her. However, spending time with another house made her think again. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't placed in Gryffindor.

Once they had all eaten their fill, Bethany took Lily up to Professor Scamander's office. They talked amiably and Lily had a lot of questions about Hogwarts that Bethany was very willing to answer. Lily liked Bethany; she was funny and seemed to be just like any of her Gryffindor or Ravenclaw cousins. They reached the gargoyles and Bethany waved goodbye to her. She was the first there and so she gave the password, Nargles, and she made her way up the moving staircase. She opened the door and stepped inside. There had been too many people last time she was in there; she didn't get a proper look at the room. All around the walls, there were portraits of many men and women, some considerably older than others.

"Lily!"

The voice came from the portrait of a hook-nosed, sallow faced man with greasy black hair who was leaning forward in his chair. She spun around. "Yes?"

"Oh sorry. I thought…" he sat back down, frowning.

"That I was Lily Evans? You must be Professor Snape." Lily smiled at the man she had heard so much about.

"How do you know me?"

"My dad is Harry Potter. He said you were one of the bravest men he ever knew. Do you really think I look like her?"

There was a pause. Lily fidgeted awkwardly as Snape studied her. "Apart from that scar on your cheek, you're the spitting image of her Miss Potter."

Lily smiled. She loved hearing about her grandmother whom she had never met. She turned to the portrait of the gentleman to the left of Severus. "Professor Dumbledore."

The old man looked at her over the top of his half-moon glasses. "Yes Miss Potter?"

Lily smiled. Here in front of her was a man who was something of a legend in the family. "I've heard so much about you sir, I've always wanted to meet you. Mum and dad talk about you almost every day."

"Judging by the colour of your hair, I assume that your father married Miss Ginevra Weasley?"

"Yes."

Before the conversation could continue, the door opened and Harry walked in with James, Albus and Rose. Harry smiled at the portrait. "Good evening Professor Dumbledore, I see you've met my Lily."

"Are these your children as well Harry?"

Harry put his hands on James and Albus' shoulders. "This is my eldest, James Sirius."

"Hello sir."

"I'm surprised to not have seen you in here this term Mr Potter." Albus smiled.

"What do you mean by that Professor?" Harry frowned.

"I have often witnessed many conversations between Mr Potter and Ms Scamander up here over the past year."

James fidgeted but Harry smiled. "I'd expect nothing less from a boy who was named after two Marauders. Professor, this is my other son, Albus Severus."

Both men looked sharply at Albus who was wearing exactly the same expression on his face that Harry wore when he was worried. "Albus Severus?" both men repeated this hollowly.

"Hello Professors." Albus smiled shyly.

"But who is this third young lady?" Albus smiled at Rose who blushed.

"I'm Rose Isabella Weasley, sir. My parents are Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

Albus' eyes twinkled and Rose felt at ease with the gentleman in the portrait. "If I am not mistaken Miss Weasley, your parents, well Mr Weasley certainly, spent a lot of time in my office when they were at Hogwarts and undoubtedly Professor McGonagall's office as well."

Rose was confused. Her mother was supposed to be 'the brightest witch of her age'. Surely someone who was such a goody two shoes, wouldn't end up in the headmaster's office? "I'm not quite sure I understand sir."

"Your parents and Mr Potter here managed to wound themselves into a lot of trouble during their time at Hogwarts. They always seem to be in here at some point in the year, as I remember."

Very well timed, at that moment, most of the others chose to burst in through the door. A few people conjured chairs for the older people (Molly and Arthur) in the room, while the slightly sprightlier chose to perch on ledges and window seats. Luna sat down behind her desk and had a dreamy look on her face, one that Albus knew. It was the face that she wore when she was think deeply about something. Harry decided that the time for chatting had passed, muttered something quietly and loud, red sparks few up into the air and everyone fell silent. Luna nodded in gratitude to Harry and she proceeded to speak.

"Thank you Harry. I know that some of you are still uninformed of what a Beauty Transformer is, so I have a piece of parchment with information for you in it. There is one for each person, please read it carefully."

The mentioned pieces of parchment were handed out and there was a minute or two of silence as everyone, including those who already knew, read this information. Albus was one of the first to finish. Perched on a window sill between Scorpius and Elizabeth, he started to think. The Beauty Transformer didn't seem so dangerous unless Mr Arkwright was intending to use it for bad. That was it! He sounded lie an evil git and if he son was anything to go by, well then that said it all really. That must be what Rose is keeping from them. The note she received with the newspaper had simply said: Keep it safe; Mum x. Albus looked at Rose who was fingering the box he had seen with her ever since the Christmas holidays. Albus hopped off the ledge and went over to where she was next to Theodore and Danielle.

"That's a Beauty Transformer in there, isn't it?" he whispered and Rose turned around to look at him before nodding numbly. "How and when?"

"Mum gave it to me at Christmas." She whispered, barely audible. She lifted up the lid to show Albus the necklace nestling in the bed of tissue paper. Albus whistled, it was beautiful.

"Wow that is one pretty piece of jewellery. Are you going to tell anyone?"

Before Rose could answer, Hermione stood up from where she had been sitting and the room fell silent. "I think we need to take a course of action. Now you all know about Beauty Transformers, you might as well know where they are. As it says in the information, there are only two in the entire wizarding world. One is residing with the Japanese Ministry of Magic in Tokyo. The other," at this Hermione took a deep breath, preparing herself for their reaction, "is in this room."

The reaction was immediate. There was pandemonium as there were cries of 'what do you mean?' and 'where?' Most of the people were looking around the room for it. Albus was keeping Rose close but Hermione indicated for her to come up to Luna's desk. Without saying anything, Rose stood up and made her way through the throng of people to the front. There was some murmur about this. What did Rose, a first year, have anything to do with this? Albus could see Rose shaking visibly. She opened the lid and held it up for all to see. There was a collective gasp and many leaned forward, eager for a closer look. No one spoke for a long time. What do they do now? Do they bring Richard Arkwright here? The question was answered by a timid knock on the door, five minutes later.

"Come in." Luna called and the door opened to reveal Bethany, looking very small in her Hufflepuff robes and surrounded by all the adults who were near the door. "Yes Miss MacMillan?"

"Dad – I mean Professor MacMillan says he needs to meet you in the Great Hall urgently Professor Scamander. He said a very important looking letter had arrived and thought you ought to know." Bethany said the final sentence fairly slowly as she tried to remember her father's words.

"Thank you Miss MacMillan, I shall be with him presently." Bethany nodded and then left.

"You don't think it could be a letter from him, do you Professor?" Theodore sound worried and rightly so.

"My instinct says so Mr Harrison. Perhaps we should all go back down to the Great Hall and find out what the writer has to say?"

There was a general murmur of agreement and one by one, they all trooped out of the room and down the many flights of stairs. Many of the students threw them curious glances, it wasn't a common sight to see so many adults at Hogwarts in one formation but no questions were raised. Professor MacMillan was standing by the teacher's table holding a smoking red letter in his hand. Albus knew enough about them to recognise a Howler; thankfully he had never been on the receiving end of one. They all gathered around it, the room now empty of other students and staff and the doors locked and shut. Luna opened the letter but as soon as the seal was removed, it stood up of its own accord and a cold, chilling voice rang out, the voice sending shivers down everyone's spines.

"I have been watching you all. I know you know my secrets I know you are planning to apprehend me. You know what I want and all I want is for you to give it to me. The other has been destroyed and you are my last chance. I will be waiting in the Hog's Head pub in Hogsmeade for the duration of tomorrow. I expect Miss Weasley," everyone turned to look at Rose who had gone deathly white, "to meet me in there alone. She must be alone. Anyone else accompanies her and she dies. You've already lost one Weasley at my hand this year; surely you don't want to lose another?" Fleur started to sniff quietly into Bill's shoulder and Victoire nestled her head into Teddy's neck. "If Miss Weasley does not appear tomorrow, I will find my way to Hogwarts and I will ensure that I find you and get it. I will have that Transformer and believe me when I say I will do anything to get it. See you there, Rose."

**A/N: so what do you think? How does Arkwright know that it is Rose who has the Transformer? What will they do? I wanted to extend this chapter but I've decided that chapter 17 may be shorter and so I've put the rest of this chapter as the beginning of the next one. PLEASE REVIEW!**


	17. Preparation

**************A/N: I do not own any of the characters except for: all the first years bar Rose, Albus and Scorpius; Edward Wood, Holly Willow, Darren Sloper, Connor Jordan and any characters that you do not recognise. If you are not sure, then message me or leave me a review. I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! Thank you for you who have kept with me!**************

**Chapter 17**

There was a silence in the hall. Albus now hated silence; it never meant anything good unless it was a Chess game. Rose had collapsed onto a bench at the Hufflepuff table and was being comforted by Hermione and her dorm-mates. Luna suddenly left the Great Hall and did not return for several minutes. When she did, she was accompanied by Hubert Adams. Albus's automatic response was to draw his wand. Hubert frowned but in the presence of so many adults, he decided not to retaliate. He also made a mental note that Scorpius, Harry and Theodore had also drawn their wands and at four against one, James put his hand on Albus's arm and his wand dropped to his side. The adults watched this scene with a certain amount of amusement, was this a new Harry/Draco or James/Severus hate ship? Teddy looked at Harry for the first time, and realised this was his cousin. He had a relative! Teddy made a mental note to talk to Harry afterwards. Robert was surprised by how striking the resemblance, between this boy with Professor Scamander and his father was. He had the same mop of blonde hair but had his mother's eyes, a deep brown, and his father's immense stature. Luna seemed completely ignorant of all this and indicated for everyone to sit down. There was a little shuffling while everyone congregated at the end of the four house tables. Luna sat in her chair and Hubert stood facing her, now terrified at the sight of all these people. There was only one reason all those people be here.

"Mr Adams, I just need to ask you a few questions and there you can go back to your common room. You aren't in any trouble, don't worry. Is that alright with you?"

"Yes Professor." Hubert mumbled. Albus smirked; it was good to finally see him in trouble. But a look from his mother wiped the smirk off his face. How come mums spoil everything?

"Mr Adams, when did you last hear from your father?"

Hubert looked a little surprised by the question. "Er, about two weeks ago Professor. He doesn't write very often, it's normally my mother."

"Has your father, in any of his letters or talking to you directly, mentioned anything about gaining means to being a wizard?"

"No Professor!" Hubert's eyes widened in horror.

"I should tell you Mr Adams that we are investigating your father for the murder of seven Beauxbatons students and several others, as well as an account of arson."

Hubert's eyes widened. "Was he responsible for that Profess? I had no idea, honestly!"

"I believe you Mr Adams. Now, when you are at home, what is your father like?" Hubert went very quiet and mumbled something. "I'm sorry Mr Adams but I'm going to have to ask you to speak louder."

Hubert looked up and tried to speak louder. "I don't want to be rude, but I'd rather not discuss it in front of Potter and his friends."

"By Potter, I assume you are talking about Mr Albus Potter rather than Mr James or Mr Harry Potter?" Luna had a smile on her face.

Hubert nodded. "Yes Professor."

"I understand Mr Adams. In fact, anyone who is not of age, could you make your way down into the trophy room? Mr Fred Weasley knows the way, I'm sure. If you will."

Fred nodded, and Albus stood up, knowing any resistance would be futile. Along with all of his cousins and siblings and friends, except for Teddy and Victoire, they made their way to the back of the Great Hall and through a door. Albus hadn't noticed this door before. The stairs were similar to those that he descended to get to Potions each week. They were old and made a loud echoing sound for such a small place. As they went through another door, Albus marvelled at the amount of trophies that were contained in the room. A roaring fire in a grate suddenly sprung up at the end of the room but most people ignored it and had their noses pressed up against the glass. Albus found the house cup nearest the door and traced his finger along the glass, back through the years. Hufflepuff didn't seem to have held the cup very often and Albus, to his disgust, saw that Slytherin had at one point, held the cup for seven years consecutively.

"Al looks! Daddy's on these cups here!" Lily's voice came from not very far away.

He ambled over to where she was standing. There were only two trophies in this cabinet. The first was quite small and was more of a shield than anything. The silver words were twirled and snake-like= Special Services to the School: Presented to Harry James Potter, April 1993. Albus could see Rose and Hugo with their noses pressed against the glass of a cabinet with other Special Services shields. Albus suspected that Uncle Ron was there, maybe they had earned their shields at the same time, and they had been and still were the best of friends. Albus made a mental note to ask his father about it, it probably went with one of the many stories his father had told over the years. The second trophy was a lot bigger than the first and was certainly more lavish and magnificent. It was standing on a plinth and was predominantly silver that looked as if it hadn't been polished for a few years. The main bulk of the cup was a sea-blue coloured transparent glass. The glass itself reflected the lights and made the cup sparkle. It was a hexagonal shape and in the three glass sides that faced Albus and Lily were three sets of three letters: TRI WIZ ARD. Albus drew breath quickly. This was the Triwizard cup his father had won back in 1995. His father had been reluctant to tell the whole story but Albus could now see why. Etched in the same writing as the shield, but in gold, were the words: The last Triwizard Tournament from 1000-1999 cup, presented to Harry James Potter aged 14 of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and to Cedric Amos Diggory who died aged 17 in the third task of the tournament also of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, June 1995.

Harry had certainly mentioned Cedric's name once or twice over the years and Albus had even visited his grave, not far from Professor Dumbledore's tomb at Hogwarts. It was marble white with flecks of yellow and black, the colours of Hufflepuff house. He could, and probably should, walk there in ten minutes. Albus was sure that Scorpius and Harry would like to go there; it was truly a work of nature. Albus's thoughts were broken by the appearance of Teddy at the foot of the staircase.

"You guys can come back up now."

Teddy let them all go past, counting each to ensure they had all left. Noticing one person missing, Teddy made his way slowly around the room. Then he spotted her, curled up in an armchair, trying to keep back tears. Teddy's heart melted in an instant. Her red Weasley hair, flecked with brown streaks, fell past her shoulders and partially covered her face. In her hands was a photograph, one that Teddy recognised as one taken of the 'Golden Trio' when they were just a year older than Rose. It had clearly been taken by someone both Harry and Ginny had talked of often, Colin Creevey, evident by the poor quality and the fact that the picture wasn't moving. Enthusiastic as he had been about photography, even Teddy could recognise that Colin hadn't been the most accomplished photographer. It had been taken in the Great Hall, clear by the surroundings and placing of the three teenagers, the trio seemed to have been chatting animatedly. Make Hermione's hair redder, you had slightly older versions of Albus, Rose and Hugo.

"They look so much like you, your parents." Teddy spoke softly but Rose still jumped at the sound of his voice. "What are you thinking?" he sat on the arm of the chair, looking at the photo over her shoulder.

"I'm worrying if I'll ever be able to reach their age." Rose could only choke out her deepest fear she had harboured since hearing the letter.

Teddy slipped off the arm of the sofa and knelt down to look Rose in the eye. "Rose Hermione Weasley. Not only are you one of the brightest witches of your age, you are also one of the kindest. Do you really expect your family to let you deal with this on your own?"

"But the letter…"

"Said that no one was to accompany you, I was listening Rose. But he didn't mention that anyone could be in Hogsmeade or be surrounding the pub, ready to burst in if you get hurt. You are more valued than you know Rose. Al and Mr Malfoy would defend you in a duel without a second's hesitation. I am sure that your friends in your dormitory would do the same. You are not going into this alone." Teddy changed his hair into a Weasley red. "We're family together, all of us." He think changed it back to his favourite electric blue as he stood up and held out his hand to Rose. "Shall we make our way back upstairs?"

Rose smiled and took his hand. As they walked up the stairs, she tucked the photograph back inside her robe pocket. That was where she always kept it. The Great Hall was silent as they came up and as Teddy and Rose entered, everyone looked at them before turning away and starting to talk. Rose slipped over to where the first years were gathered. They stopped talking as Rose came over and looked at her guiltily. Ignoring the looks of pity coming from around the room, Rose smiled at her friends before going over to Harry, who seemed to be the only one not looking at her with pity. She stood awkwardly by the bench at the Ravenclaw table before she spoke.

"Uncle Harry?" she asked timidly, Harry's head shot up but he relaxed and smiled as he saw his niece.

"Yes Rose?" recognising the look of determination on Rose's face that made her look so like her mother. "Is there something you want to talk about?" Rose nodded and Harry smiled inwardly, he had seen a small flicker of insecurity pass over her face which he had seen so often on Ron's face. "Sit down."

Rose sat down and they sat there in silence for a bit. If Rose was anything like her parents, Harry thought, she would be the one to address her problem first.

"I'm scared Uncle Harry."

"I bet you are Rose."

"What do I do?"

Harry looked at her confused. "Why aren't you asking your parents?"

Rose sighed. "because they've never had to go face to face with their killer and armed with only a wand, no plan. You've done it so many times; you're the best person to give advice."

Harry nodded, Rose was right as usual. He thought about it. 1991, the first time he had nearly died since defeating Voldemort as a baby.

"Frankly Rose I had no plan either. To collect the Philosopher's Stone, I thought I was going to try and fend off Snape somehow. I went into the Chamber of Secrets expecting to just grab Ginny and get the hell out of there. The Shrieking Shack, I was acting purely on instinct. I didn't do very much in the graveyard. I had only practised spells for a maze, not for fighting Voldemort. In the Department of Mysteries, I expected an easy job, grab Sirius and run. I had no time to prepare for the lake with Dumbledore. Just," Harry paused and thought carefully about his next words, "don't expect everything to go as smoothly as you would hope for. He won't go down without a fight; I'll tell you that Rosie." Harry looked Rose in the eye. "You have your mother's uncanny ability to spot danger a mile off and are able to cast spells without a moment's hesitation. You have your mother's brains and your father's instinct for protecting those you love. Use it Rosie, use every asset you've got because you can. Don't be afraid to let your natural instincts take over." Harry smiled in memory of an incident he remembered involving a troll and the girl's bathroom. "When I met with Voldemort in 1991, your mother gave me a piece of advice that I will never forget. I told her, just before I went in, that she would do far better than me at being able to get the Stone. She smiled at me and said –" Harry was cut off by Hermione who had come over.

"Me? Books! And cleverness! There are more important things – friendship and bravery and oh, Harry be careful!" she laughed. "Well you took friendship to heart, careful a little less."

They shared a smile and Rose looked at them. They looked younger somehow, reminiscing about the past. She thought about what was to come. She did have the support she needed. She had her friends and family, who weren't going to flee from her. Hermione took her daughter's hand and they made their way up to the main staircase. Most people were Flooing back home or Apparating back down in Hogsmeade. With her friends smiling and encouraging, Rose left the security of her family and made her way up to Gryffindor tower. Too exhausted to do anything, Rose went up to her dormitory, allowing Al to give her a brief hug. Her bed looked so inviting but, to her surprise, Gideon was perched on her headboard. Rose smiled sadly as she went over and untied the letter on the owl's leg. She recognised the parchment immediately as her mother's. Rose, I love it so much. Daddy and Hugo love you so much and we are going to be there, whatever happens. Just remember that we care about you and even the most hurtful comments cannot compare with how much we love you. Take your mind off everything and get some sleep, Mum xxx. Rose folded up the letter, tears in her eyes and her heavy heart, slightly lifted. She got her pyjamas on and let her tiredness engulf her, falling asleep before her head had hit the pillow.

The next day was a Saturday so Rose wasn't going to be missing any lessons. By 11am, the designated meeting time for the group, everyone was there. Rose hadn't eaten any breakfast and was now regretting it. Everything had been sorted and decided for her and she liked it that way. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna were going to be immediately surrounding the Hog's Head. George, Angelina, Charlie, Susannah, Bill, Fleur and Seamus would be covering the area around the Hog's head and the surrounding vicinity. After much persuasion, Al, Scorpius, Lucy, Harry and Elizabeth had been allowed to accompany the rest of the adults who were going to be stationed in Hogsmeade. Theodore and Danielle had been reassured that their roles were also very important for the plan. They were to stay at Hogwarts and ensure that everything was still running smoothly. Percy and Audrey were staying behind and had been placed in charge of making sure the staff were unaware of anything going on and look after the under Hogwarts age students. None of them had been allowed to go to Hogsmeade and the Scamander twins, Lorcan and Lysander, had come up from Glasgow where they lived with their father, Rolf, to be a part of the action.

Hermione saw her daughter and saw the fact that she often saw on her husband's face: Rose was hungry. Going over to her daughter, Hermione held out something to Rose, a Muggle breakfast bar.

"I know it's not quite a full English breakfast, but I always keep a selection in my bag in case your father gets hungry. You know what he's like when he's hungry."

Rose grimaced and let out a smile, then took it gratefully. As her mother left to check up on the final preparations, Rose took a bite out of the bar and a sense of relief and content flooded through her. There was something about food that seemed to be the answer to everything. It wasn't long before the delegations started to leave Hogwarts. It wasn't that far to Hogsmeade and Rose was near the front, gripping tightly onto her mother's hand. Her wand was stowed in her robes with the Beauty Transformer. With each step they took, Rose became more and more nervous. Nervous wasn't quite the right word, terrified or petrified be a better word for it. She had no plan, little experience and she hated it. Why did it have to be her? Was Richard Arkwright scared of being beaten so he chose a first year to face him?

The group reached the edge of Hogsmeade and stopped. Hermione turned to her daughter with great sadness in her eyes, a longing to replace her. "Rose, remember what I told you. We are here for you and we love you, no matter if you have to end up killing someone." Rose looked at her mother horrified. She had been told the spell but never had intended to use it. Hermione saw her daughter's expression and amended her statement quickly. "But you won't have to, we will if it comes down to it and none of us really want to."

Hermione let her family and friends say their goodbyes. It was like Rose was on her deathbed or going to her death. Maybe that is what everyone thought was going to happen. Fair enough, Rose thought as she hugged Lucy, she didn't expect herself to survive. Maybe there was a glimmer of hope in the fact that Uncle Harry had managed it. But then, Rose sighed, she wasn't Uncle Harry, the Boy Who Lived. She was Rose Weasley, first year Gryffindor.

With the last goodbyes said, Rose walked the short distance to the Hog's Head. The wind was icy cold and Rose hugged her cloak close around her, tighter than before. The pub was nothing more than a shack now, a rundown place that had been abandoned when Aberforth Dumbledore had died some seven years previously. Rose reached for the handle of the door, pushed it open slightly and peered inside, looking for all and any signs of life. She could see a portrait of a girl, a few years older than her, with a smiling face that was warm and sincere, she reminded Rose strongly of Professor Dumbledore. Maybe this was the last resting place of the portrait of Ariana Dumbledore, the girl that had been killed as Professor Dumbledore had tried to rise to power with Gellert Grindelwald. The whole story was firmly ingrained in the brains of every Weasley and Potter child of their generation. It was a story that no one could forget in a hurry. Rose saw a shadow by the bar and remembering that she had her friends and family with her, and a wand that she could use, she stepped inside, ready to meet her fate.

**A/N: another cliff hanger! I'll try and update quicker than I did with this chapter... Reviews are to writers like oxygen is to humans - much needed (stolen from Magic Of Every Kind)**


	18. A Cloud of Dust

**I can give you no reason as to why I haven't updated for over three months. I apologise and I hope that this chapter does your wait justice. There will be only one or two at the most chapters after this. Thank you to all who have reviewed and alerted this story!**

**This chapter is dedicated to my younger brother who has been a constant support to me in this story!**

The man at the bar was of medium height with Hubert's shock of blonde hair which wouldn't provide him with a very good cover unless he dyed it quickly. Then again, she did have flaming red hair and therefore couldn't really talk about lack of cover. He stood casually, leaning against the side of the bar, his muscular arms protruding from underneath his black t-shirt. His smile was sinister, the kind that Rose had only seen on Muggle films, the smile worn by the bad guy. He glanced at Rose before coming over to her and sticking out his hand.

"Richard Arkwright, pleasure to meet you Miss Weasley."

Rose wisely didn't take the hand, instead looking at it coldly. "I don't care who you are."

His silky smile was seriously beginning to creep her out. "Now, now Miss Weasley, there's no need to be rude. Come, do have a drink."

Rose's steely gaze remained as cold as ice and she regarded him with a look of distaste. An alcoholic as well as a killer. "I am only twelve; I don't think the landlord would appreciate a Muggle trying to order a drink for a 12 year old."

He shrugged. "Whatever, I don't have any wizard money anyway. So let's get down to business." He sat down at the nearest table and indicated for her to follow suit. "If you co-operate Miss Weasley, this only need take five minutes of your time and then you can get back to your school."

Rose shrugged, he had a point and so she slipped down into the seat opposite him, her hand subconsciously going towards her wand. There was a pause as they studied each other, trying to read each other's thoughts. Eventually, Richard sighed and put his chin in his right hand, leaning it on the table and peering at Rose.

"This would be an awful lot quicker if you just gave it to me."

Rose drew breath, she wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing and she had to take a chance. "Why do you want it?" she asked cautiously.

A slow smile spread across Richard Arkwright's face, a leer that was very unsettling. "I would have thought that it would have been clear Miss Weasley, you wizards and witches have powers that we mere 'Muggles' could never have dreamed of. You can kill without drawing blood, you can inflict pain without the need to go anywhere near someone."

Rose cut him off, incredulously. "Is that all that you care about? You want wizarding powers simply because you can inflict pain without having to do the dirty work yourself." She took a deep breath, she was gambling on him falling for it, she didn't know if the statement was true or not but she had to have a stab at it. "Well I'm sorry to disappoint you Mr Arkwright but Beauty Transformers can only work on wizards and witches who have magical powers."

Instead of frowning however, Richard looked at Rose curiously with another smirk that he definitely didn't like. "They say that you are like your mother, Rose Weasley, Hubert is forever complaining about how you are beating him in every class you have together. However I too have done my research and know that Beauty Transformers can work on anyone or anything as long as that person or being as an object about their person that can channel magic." Richard reached into his pocket and drew out a wand which Rose could see was acacia. "And I believe I have the necessary requirements."

Rose was starting to panic but she couldn't show it. What had she learnt about Beauty Transformers when she had researched them? "But you yourself aren't magical. The magic that a wand performs doesn't come from the wand itself, as you said it is just a channel, but from the person who holds the magic. Magic isn't something that you can just gain or steal, it is genetic and inherited." She recited what Professor Flitwick had told her.

Richard looked at her strangely, tilting his head to the side. "But then, how do Muggle born wizards and witches gain their powers. For if magic is inherited, there would be no Muggleborns, would there? So tell me Rose, you sound as if you had just swallowed a textbook and located the page which held that information. You know that I will have the power to use the wand correctly and to great effect once you give me the Beauty Transformer."

Then, the Gryffindor coming out in her, Rose did a very brave and potentially stupid thing. She stood up, her wand drawn and looked at Richard Arkwright straight in the eye. "No."

Richard Arkwright wanted to laugh. An 11 year old was defying him? "No? Why not Miss Weasley? I am older, cleverer, more agile and certainly smarter than you. Why are you refusing what I have merely asked for without violence?"

Rose was feeling a little shaky but she had to carry on with what she had promised herself. "I won't give it to you Mr Arkwright. It doesn't belong to you, it belongs to my mother and I will not give away something that will purely be used for violence and for the potential destruction of this world." Her voice was as shaky as her wand but she kept it trained on Richard. "As the daughter of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, I refuse to bow down before someone who thinks that they are better than everyone else. I refuse to hand over such a precious object for its sole purpose to be turned into something that it was not created for. The Beauty Transformer was designed to be used as a tool for helping those in great need. And you are not someone in great need."

Richard chuckled; this girl had done her homework. But then, what else would you expect from the daughter of Hermione Granger, the creator of the very thing that she owned. "I don't want to have to do this, but I may have to resort to violence if you do not hand it over." He tried to say evenly, keeping the threat and menacing attitude out of his voice.

Rose was as scared as he seemed to be but being the daughter of Aurors and master liars, she could hold her composure. She drew her wand and pointed it slowly at Richard's face who raised an eyebrow. "You seem to forget Mr Arkwright that I am the person in this room who has the magical powers. I will not hesitate to use them, I mean it."

Richard's expression turned from one of curiosity to one that almost seemed like amusement. What was so amusing about this situation? "You seem to forget Miss Weasley that you have nothing to lose by handing this over. You also seem to forget that I am adult and have been in relation with magical folk for an awfully long time."

Rose wanted to laugh; did he have any idea who she was? "I am and daughter of a wizard and witch. My father is part of a family that is one of the most prominent and loyal pure-blood families in the history of wizards, the Weasleys and the Prewetts. You cannot claim to have spent more time around wizards than me, that is simply not possible. You seem to have forgotten something too, Mr Arkwright. You clearly haven't done your homework as I have. You seem to forget that the core thing in a Beauty Transformer is loyalty." This seemed to put Richard out. He hadn't known that, what was she getting at? "A Beauty Transformer will only respond to the one who has had it in their company for a month. Their loyalty remains within the family or inheritance that its creator is a part of. The Beauty Transformer was created by Hermione Granger and was in her possession for nearly a year. The Transformer was then passed onto me, mum in the full knowledge that it would answer to me and Hugo as well as her only. Even if you do gain the transformer, it will be of no use to you, it will be a worthless piece of metal."

During this little speech, Richard's expression had grown to one of rage and anger. How could he have not known about it? His wife had provided with every single possible little detail on Beauty Transformers that she could get hold of. Maybe she was lying. He too stood up and came over to her, before grabbing the collar of her cloak. "You're lying." He hissed, pleased by the terrified expression on Rose's face.

"No, I'm not. Why would I lie to you?" Rose was gabbling and Richard tightened his grip.

"Oh, I don't know, to stop me from getting it?" his voice was harsh and Rose could smell the garlic on his breath. Goodness knows why anyone would have already eaten garlic at this early in the morning she would never know but that wasn't the matter in question.

"What, what if it's true?" she asked tentatively. She was right, the Beauty Transformer was useless but she hadn't known that until her mother had told her a moment ago from the coin that had been pulsating in her pocket. She was good at reading letters and words engraved on metal, a trick she had been advised to learn by her mother. Had her mother orchestrated the whole thing, knowing that Rose would need this vital piece of information but deliberately left it until she was only in the greatest peril to tell her?

Richard frowned; the girl didn't seem to be lying. "Well then, the transformer will pass into my possession anyway. The transformer is less than two years old, it can be modified."

Rose's heart sunk, it was true. But it could only be changed with magic. It could only be changed with magic! "You wouldn't be able to change it, you have no magical powers and you need the transformer in the first place to gain and magic. It's an endless cycle!" she said triumphantly.

Richard laughed and let go of her, Rose stumbling backwards slightly before steadying her on the nearest table. "You seem to forget that I have a witch for a wife and a wizard for a son. Once I have that Beauty Transformer, I will be able to gain the power that I need and then I will rise up, further than Lord Voldemort himself!"

His maniacal laugh that resounded around the walls of the old pub made Rose shudder again. She seemed to be repeating the same word over and over again but it had given her a thought. When being stopped from where she needed to go and what needed to happen, what had her mother done?

"no." her voice was more solid. "You will never have it Richard Arkwright. It will never be yours."

The maniacal laugh resounded against the walls once again. "Never? Stupid girl, you have no idea what I am capable of." Richard pulled out something from his pocket and Rose realised with a jolt of horror that the Beauty Transformer was now with him. He must have taken it from her when he had grabbed her cloak. How could she have not realised. "Oh? Did you not feel me take it?" his maniacal laugh had been replaced by an evil twisted grin that Rose was slightly unsteadied by, but she stood her ground. "My wife will be here any moment and then you will never see me or this little beauty again."

Knowing that the appearance of Matilda Keyes, a witch with powers beyond Rose's understanding, she lifted her wand and followed in her mother's footsteps. "Petrificus Totalus." She waved her wand directly at Richard who suddenly snapped his arms to his side and fell over backwards onto the floor where a cloud of dust rose around him. She went over and knelt down beside Richard. "you don't know my family history, we Weasleys and Grangers have a habit of getting into trouble and then getting out of it." she prised the transformer from his grip and put it back in the box. "And I'll have that, thank you very much."

There was a swoosh of air and Rose turned to see Matilda Keyes with her wand drawn and her eyes searching for her husband. She started at the sight of Rose. "Who the hell are you?" she asked incredulously.

Rose was growing more confident, now Richard Arkwright was out of the way. "I am Rose Hermione Weasley and you and your husband are going to Azkaban. STUPEFY!" she yelled as she pointed her wand and the witch was blasted backwards.

Unable to withstand so much pressure on the walls, the Hogs Head suddenly gave a groan and Rose dashed out of the door, just as it seemed that the roof was about to come down. Back in the open air, the first person she saw was her mother who ran and brought her into a tight embrace while Harry kept the Hog's Head erect while Neville, Luna and Ron rushed in to find the Arkwright family minus Hubert. Their bodies were dragged out and Harry let his wand fall, letting the roof cave in and Harry, saw with sadness, the painting of Ariana Dumbledore now standing alone on the wall, no need for a roof for support.

He walked slowly and all eyes were trained on him as he lifted the painting from the wall and looked at Ariana. "You're going to be with your brothers Ariana." He whispered and gently carried her portrait over to where the others were now all gathered, each person taking it in turn to greet Rose. "She needs to be with her family." He simply said to Luna who nodded, there was always space on the walls in the Headmistress's office for another painting.

**I hope you recognise the reference to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone I make! Please review and I promise the next update to be quicker than the last!**


	19. Totally Awesome

**I can't really offer an explanation for why this has taken three months to update other than I have been focusing on my other stories. This is officially the last chapter of 'What Happens When Another Six Come Flying By'. I want to thank each person that has reviewed and especially my younger brother who has kept me going throughout the whole writing process, reading my work and giving his opinions. Thanks bro, I owe you one.**

**The rather exciting news that accompanies this sad last chapter, is that I WILL be writing a sequel. I will post a chapter on here to say that it is up but if you would rather add me on author alert, then do go ahead. I don't think that, sadly, the new story will be up until after Christmas as I have a very busy term ahead of me and even then, I am in my last year of school now so I have an awful lot of work to do.**

**Thank you for waiting patiently for each chapter and then for all the reviews, they mean so much to me as I don't tend to get very many. I wish you all the best of luck and keep writing!**

**Enjoy this final chapter!**

With Richard Arkwright and Matilda Keyes safely locked up, having been found guilty of attempting world domination and unlawful breaches of magic, Rose could sit back and relax for the rest of the year. Having her mother's brains meant that Albus and Scorpius used their best friend and found that they actually needed her help, less and less. Rose was like her mother in her insistence for their early revision for the end of year exams and Albus was secretly very grateful that she now had something else to worry about, rather than someone wanting to kill her.

The exams were coming up faster than any of them would have liked and Rose found that, like her mother, she was revising hard and fast for them although she had a sneaky feeling that she was going to come out on top. With cousins such as Victoire and Fred taking their exams as well, obviously their exams were far more important (Rose begged to differ) but the common room was now full of students every evening, studying hard, the room littered with paper. Sub-sec meetings had now been put on hold until the last exam was over for all of the years.

And soon they were all over. The beautiful June sun beat down on the grounds and although it wasn't as warm as it may have been in different parts of the country, it was still glorious and a wonderful escape from the horror of end of first year exams. With no need for lessons besides preparation for second year, they were lazy and there was no homework any longer to fill the evenings. Sub-secs had resumed once more and they were much less used. In full honesty, Albus couldn't really see the use of them.

He decided to bring the discussion up with Rose and Scorpius as they sat in the Great Hall, one day at lunch on a Saturday. Rose was looking a little more tense than usual as they knew that that the results were due to be handed out in three days' time. "Rose relax, we have three days." Albus sighed.

Rose stared at him incredulously. "Three days? That's like nothing! I have three days to prepare myself mentally for the improbable but possible failure of my first year at Hogwarts. Mum and dad would be so upset if I didn't pass my first year. It would be all 'so much for getting your mother's brains' type of thing."

Both Albus and Scorpius had their mouths hanging open. "Your parents would never say anything like that." Albus stated firmly and Scorpius agreed eagerly, even though he had only met them once. "Your parents love you and out of the three of us, you are the LEAST likely to fail the year. In fact, despite all that's been going on, I wouldn't be surprised if you topped the year by a long way." He remembered what he wanted to discuss with his two friends and abruptly changed the subject. "What do you think of sub-secs?"

Rose and Scorpius looked at Albus curiously, what was he going to go on about? "I think they're pretty cool." Scorpius shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

Albus frowned. "I was just thinking that, other than getting to know some of the older years, there isn't really much point to them."

This left the two first years thinking. Albus had a point; they didn't really serve much purpose. Messages that needed to be communicated to the whole house were either posted on the message board or Professor Longbottom would hold a whole house meeting which was compulsory for all. Sure it had been fun for the first few weeks, getting to know some of the older kids in the house, but it was always only a temporary thing. It wasn't as if it was helping the rift that still existed between Gryffindor and Slytherin, just the much smaller rift between the years that existed because no one knew each other. Sure Albus now did know several of the older members of the house, but being on the Quidditch team had also helped that majorly.

"I just feel that lately they have become pretty pointless." Albus sighed. "And they just take out an entire hour of my day when I could be playing Quidditch or chess or hanging out with my friends." He flashed a smile at his friends which was returned.

Scorpius grimaced. "I agree with you totally mate. But the good thing is that we can also go to the older years for stuff like choosing our new subjects for third year, rather than having to rely on unreliable older siblings." Scorpius flashed a cheeky scowl at James who thankfully managed to either ignore or didn't see the gesture.

"I have to agree with Scor, Al." Rose mused. "I love my cousins and everything, but I don't really feel like going to Fred or James when it comes to choosing my new subjects. They're just quite…" she didn't quite know what the right word to end it was.

"Unhelpful? Disruptive? Cheeky? Likely to pull your leg?" Albus offered and she nodded, she could claim not to have said them now. "I know exactly what you are saying."

They mused for a moment before there was a cough and Albus and Scorpius turned to see Edward Wood standing behind them. "Hey you two, are you ready for Saturday's game?"

Saturday would see the last game of the Quidditch season, Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw. At the moment, Slytherin were in line to win the Quidditch cup. If Gryffindor pulled a draw or a loose, Slytherin would win. In fact, Gryffindor could only win the cup if they won by 200 points or more. That meant that Albus had had Edward breathing down his neck, making sure that he would only catch the snitch when they were at least fifty points up.

Scorpius grinned. "As ready as we'll ever be!"

Edward nodded, pleased. "Well, don't let the results of your end of year exams get you down or up, if you get me, they come out the day before."

Albus rolled his eyes. "We know, Rose has been breathing down our necks about it."

Rose grinned, trying to conceal her blush. It was no secret that Edward was going to be as handsome as his father, with light brown hair and dazzling brown eyes that seemed to pierce right into your soul. It spooked the boys out but many of the girls seemed to swoon and Rose was no exception. The blush was partially his good looks and partially her embarrassment at her evident distress about the results.

Edward smiled kindly. "I was the same in my first year; I've heard you've got your mum's brains so there's no question of your passing."

Rose's blush crept further up her face. "Uh, thanks."

Sensing her cousin's uncomfortable nature around Edward, Albus stood up. "We gotta go, but don't worry Edward, we're so geared."

Getting the hint, Scorpius and Rose stood up with their bags. Edward smiled at the trio. "Great, well I'll see you two at practise."

He headed back down the table and the three collapsed back into their seats, breakfast having barely started. Rose grinned at her cousin. "Thanks Al, I thought I was going to burn."

Albus smirked. "Don't worry Rose; we've got your back."

.

As Albus circled the stadium, keeping an eye out for where Hubert was, he sighed. He loved Quidditch and he knew that his parents and younger sister were in the stands again with Draco Malfoy. With this knowledge, it had been a high spirited team that had left the tunnel to thunderous applause. As good as Slytherin appeared to be, thrashing their opponents in their other matches, Gryffindor were just too good. They were already 60-20 points up and so Albus was starting the hunt for the Snitch. As Scorpius and James provided another incredible goal, putting them the required fifty points up, Albus scoured the pitch. How his father had managed to spot the Snitch with his glasses on, Albus would never understand, but he was finding it hard as it was without glasses. Glancing quickly down at the pitch, Albus decided to pull a potentially dangerous stunt but he didn't really care. Despite feeling slightly sorry for Hubert with his parents in jail, this was the matter of the Quidditch cup. He had managed to keep his diving talent a secret and so, as he tilted his broom and started to race downwards, he heard the yells that raced past him. The closer yells told him that Hubert was on his tail. Albus smiled to him as the ground raced nearer and he drew breath as he noted the angle and then suddenly pulled up, a foot or so from the ground. He wasn't sure whether Hubert was aware of this stunt and his question was answered as he heard a sickening thud behind him which told him that Hubert hadn't quite managed to follow Albus.

"And Potter is really proving here that he is as good as his father!" Connor was yelling into the microphone with delight. "Is this the end for Slytherin seeker Adams? Will it be a question of Potter being able to find the Snitch?"

Albus saw James grin and wink at him as he flew past and the two boys high fived as the game restarted and Hubert insisted on getting back onto the broom, perhaps with a greater sense of urgency than before. Albus knew that he had to be even better than he had been before. It was then that he spotted it. Right by the Slytherin stands, Albus could make out what could potentially be the outline of a Snitch, just hovering still about 50ft in the air. Not saying a word, he let the game noise be silenced as he urged his broom on, the streak of golden light becoming clearer and the form of the Snitch more apparent. The shouts and cheers from his friends rose up around him as he reached out with his hand, his eyes firmly held on the Snitch.

And it came closer to him, the gold flickering in his eyes. Albus flexed his fingers around the ball and pulled up and around as he nearly hit the Slytherin stand, his arm aloft. After the last time he tried to win the match, Hubert didn't even attempt to prise the Snitch out of Albus' hand as he held it aloft, the Gryffindors cheering madly. They had finally won the Quidditch cup for the first time in years. Albus touched down on the grass and the first person to reach him was Edward who tackled him from the air to the ground in celebration.

"That's our Seeker!" He yelled in delight as the other team mates flew to the ground, James once again tackling Albus to the ground as he started to get back up from the last hug, and Albus no longer cared.

.

Albus' confidence and state had improved considerably at the last feast when it was discovered that his catching of the Snitch had meant Gryffindor had won the house cup as well as the Quidditch cup, that he and Scorpius had both passed with excellent marks, Rose naturally coming top in most things and Hubert Adams no longer acted like the jerk he had been all year. As he sat with his friends at the Gryffindor table, post end of year speech, Albus thought back to the year. Was it really 10 months ago that he had been worrying about which house he would be put into? It seemed like years ago and he had the arrival of Molly and Lucy, Percy's twin daughters, to look forward to this autumn. With seven Weasleys and Potters at Hogwarts, with Victoire's leaving, her leaving speech with Robert on behalf of the seventh years had moved many to tears and many seventh years lamenting loudly that they were going away for the last time. Albus was so happy that he had another six years of Hogwarts ahead of him.

"Hey Albus!" Scorpius nudged him, the former seeming to stare into space. "Pigfarts to Albus…"

Albus started. "Pig-what?"

Scorpius grinned. "Knew that would catch your attention. You haven't heard of Pigfarts? It's Hogwarts' brother school on Mars, for the more intergalactic students. My dad told me about it."

Albus raised an eyebrow. "And your dad knows about this how? What are the chances it actually exists?"

Scorpius protested. "It is real. Come over to my place sometime this summer and I'll show you the pictures we took with our telescopes the one night Mars was in clear sight from the house about a year ago."

Albus shrugged. "Alright. You have to come to Grimmauld Place sometime." He turned to Theodore and Harry. "You two will have to come too, okay?" the two boys looked pleased at having been invited. "My dad would love to meet you Harry." Albus grinned. "Have a Harry to Harry talk!" the boys laughed as the main course disappeared and the pudding appeared, each boy diving for the pile of chocolate éclairs as quickly as possible.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Boys." She brightened up. "It's my birthday this summer. You're all invited, all the Gryffindor first years are plus a couple of my other friends from the other houses."

Harry's eyes widened. "Any excuse to party and I'm there! Count me in Rose, whenever it is!"

They all laughed and continued to eat, the idea of any tense attitudes towards each other dissipated. At the end of the meal, Albus clambered into his bed for the last time, switching out the light for the last time until September and fell asleep, his dreams filled with happy memories of the last year.

The next morning, they were woken up bright and early. A quick breakfast and they headed down to the train station, the Thestrals carrying the groups of students up to where they all clambered aboard the Hogwarts Express, waving goodbye to Hagrid and a few of the other teachers who were on the platform. Albus, Rose, Harry, Theodore, Scorpius and Elizabeth managed to find a compartment easily near their other friends and settled down for the long journey ahead of them.

As Hogwarts drew out of sight, the tall turrets still slightly peeking from behind the trees, Albus sighed. Sure he had the days of summer which he could spend with family and friends, but he had the thought of how totally awesome going back was going to be. And it was going to be totally awesome, just hopefully slightly less eventful than this year. Although, being a Potter and Weasley, the likelihood of that was rather slim.

**Did you spot the two Team Starkid references I made in here? If you are a Starkid fan then YAY! If not or you haven't heard of them, check them out on YouTube. They created a musical that is called 'A Very Potter Musical' in 2009 with a sequel in 2010 and a threequel earlier this summer. If you did notice, tell me where they are and you get brownie points!**

**So long lovely readers! This is PenMagic, signing out for the last time!**


	20. Coming Next

**HOLLA! I know I did say that I was going to start the next fanfic after Christmas and I feel bad that that didn't happen but I had huge exams after then and beforehand so I couldn't until now.**

**This is the story that used to be known as What Happens When Another 6 Come Flying By!**

**So I have just posted the first chapter and here is a little sneak peak!**

* * *

><p>The rain hammered down on the cobblestones as the skies opened to release the much needed water on the British countryside. It had been the hottest summer on record, with temperatures rising to nearly 30C. For once it was perhaps a better thing to do to stay in the United Kingdom than go abroad where, at some points; it was colder than the country they stayed in the rest of the year. Those who easily remembered the summer of 1995 would often draw comparisons with the summer of 2018.<p>

But that was all over. It was mid-August and someone had finally taken pity and decided to stop torturing the small island that had such a big impact on the rest of the world. People welcomed the downpour with adulation and the wish that the hosepipe ban would be lifted, was finally perhaps a shimmering light in the distance.

It was 11pm at night and only a few lights could be seen in the street that ran in the middle of the quaint Scottish village of Lower Hampton just outside of Glasgow. The houses had withstood two world wars, an industrial revolution and a Civil War and they were only now starting to look a little worse for wear. The residents were mainly pensioners, senior citizens, the odd student passed through but the lazy and relaxed pace at which the village lived at, soon made people restless.

Most of the occupants of Lower Hampton were not aware of any unusual activity that occurred. They did not seem to notice anything different about the one family that lived in the village; they were regarded as quiet and polite. Sure the mother was rarely there and the whole family was never in the summer, but the twin boys were the darlings of the village. All the old ladies fussed over them and always spoke to each other of how nice Lorcan and Lysander Scamander were. But tonight was different. The new moon that night meant there was very little light that shone in the street where the cloaked figure glided. It could not be said in any form of the world that the figure had walked. The black cloak that encased its form was flowing and barely rustled in the gentle breeze that swept along the street with the rain. The water that seemed to hammer at and bounce off every cobblestones, every piece of the outside world that it hit, did not penetrate the figure. It was as if the figure was not there, transparent. The material of its cloak could not be any man-made or natural fibre. It was something most definitely beyond that. Something that most likely, no Muggle scientist would be able to explain.

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think? Go check out the rest of the chapter!<strong>


End file.
